Resident Evil 4: The Novelization
by L. Loire
Summary: Just as the title implies, this is a novelization based on the game released for the GameCube, PS2 and now Wii. CHAPTER 23 IS POSTED! Please read and review. Much appreciated!
1. Prologue: Six Years On

**Resident Evil 4: The Novelization, **by L. Loire.

Author's note: This is a novelization of the game released on the Nintendo GameCube and the PlayStation 2. I do not own any of the characters contained in this novelization—all those belong to Capcom. For you faithful readers of this story, you may notice some discrepancies between game and story—for example; I am not going to write about useless things like finding treasures or all the documents in the game. I also may change some of the dialogue found in the game or some aspects of the plot to make it a little more coherent. This is a novel, not a strategy guide. If you're looking for a game walkthrough, buy one or go to GameFAQs. On that note, please read and enjoy!

**Prologue: Six Years On**

_1998…_

_ I'll never forget it. It was the year when these grisly murders occurred in the Arklay Mountains. Soon after, the news was out to the whole world revealing that it was the fault of a secret viral experiment conducted by the international pharmaceutical enterprise, Umbrella. The virus broke out in a nearby mountain community, Raccoon City, and hit the peaceful little town with a devastating blow, crippling its very foundation. Not taking any chances, the President of the United States ordered a contingency plan--to sterilize Raccoon City. With the whole affair gone public, the United States government issued an indefinite suspension of business decree to Umbrella. Soon its stock prices crashed and for all intents and purposes Umbrella was finished. _

_Six years had passed since that horrendous incident..._

The car rolled along the dirt road, seemingly stretching on for miles and miles on end. Lively Spanish music was playing on the car radio, attempting to break up the monotony of this dreary place, but not doing well enough. Leon S. Kennedy just looked lazily out the window in his back seat, looking at the barren trees, the browned and dead leaves, and the grey, overcast sky which made the area seem totally dead. The two persons up front were local police, passing some small conversation in their native Spanish.

_I received special training via a secret organization, working under the direct control of the President. I was to assume the responsibility of protecting the new President's family. _

The cop in the passenger seat turned and looked at his partner, a small grin playing across his face, chuckling.

"Why am I the one who always gets the short end of the stick?"

The second cop, the driver, chuckled in response. He looked at his rearview mirror so he could get a glimpse of Leon.

"Yo, who are you really?" he asked, glancing back toward the road. "Come on and tell us."

Leon let out a dry chuckle.

"You are a long way from home, cowboy," he continued. "You have my sympathies."

Leon's features turned into a sarcastic half-smile. "Guess that's a local's way of breaking the ice. Besides, you already know what this is all about. My assignment is to search for the President's missing daughter."

"What, all by yourself?" the first cop asked, chuckling.

"I'm sure you boys didn't just tag along so we could sing Kumbaya together at some Boy Scout jamboree," Leon replied. "Then again, maybe you did."

The driver scoffed and looked up at Leon again. "Oh, you crazy American. It's a direct order from the Chief himself. I tell you it's no picnic."

"I'm counting on you guys," said Leon.

"Stop here," said the passenger cop. Leon went back to looking lazily outside at the dreary day as the car slowed to a stop. The passenger stepped out, took a few steps off to the side of the road and stood there for a second. Seconds later, the sound of urine hitting the dirt became audible.

_It was right before I was to take on my duties of protecting the President's daughter when she was abducted. Ashley Graham, her name. Young girl, no more than 19 or 20, pretty, nabbed right of her college. That's the ultimate reason I'm in this lonely and rural part of Europe. According to our intelligence, there's reliable information of a sighting of a girl that looks very similar to the President's daughter. Apparently she's being withheld by some unidentified group of people. Who would have thought my first job would be a rescue mission?_

As the cop continued to pee, Leon noticed a fog beginning to settle in the area. It was early winter in this part of Europe, a bit cold. Leon was wearing his dark brown leather jacket to compensate for the elements. In the meantime, the driver pulled out a pack of cigarettes and held them up in offering to Leon, to which he shook his head and waved them off. He was teamed up with these two officers, best in the field, he was told. Hopefully this wouldn't take too long. He hadn't been here long, and just the dismal atmosphere was getting him depressed.

_The kidnapper's motives are still unknown, although there's reliable information that the perpetrator is an insider. Only a handful of people know about this kidnapping--it's been kept under wraps mostly due to the fact that we can't determine who the traitor is. The guys in Intelligence say they have reliable information that Ashley's been sighted somewhere in Europe--but until we find out who the insider is, I don't know what to believe. It could be a ploy. We have very few leads as to the whereabouts of Ashley, but members of the Secret Service and anyone else related to Ashley are being questioned by an investigative team. Even active agents are being investigated for any information. It's just a matter of time before the kidnapper is exposed._

"Damn, it's freezing," the cop said, barely audible. He zipped himself up. "So cold all of a sudden." A sound of leaves rustling nearby caught his attention, and he leaned his head in the direction of the sound. He looked around quickly, then shrugged it off. "Ah, must be my imagination."

The cop, now relieved, got back into the car. "Sorry it took so long. Let's go."

---------

The car crossed a rickety, wooden bridge. To Leon's slight surprise, the bridge held the weight of the car. He was half-expecting the bridge to collapse—it had looked ancient and ready to break at any moment. As soon as the car crossed the bridge, it pulled over to the side and stopped.

The passenger officer turned to Leon. "Just up ahead is the village."

Leon opened the door and began to step out. "I'll go and have a look around."

"We'll stay and watch the car," the driver began. "Don't want to get any parking tickets."

Leon looked at the driver in suspended disbelief. "Right…parking tickets."

"Good luck," the passenger said. "If you need us, just radio us."

As Leon began to walk down the road, he was beginning to have doubts about his two partners. "Geez, who are these guys?" he muttered to himself.

"Did you say something?" asked the driver.

Leon pretended he didn't hear him and continued walking down the road. He only made it about fifty feet when he heard his radio beep, indicating an incoming call. Taking the radio from the leg holster, he turned it on. It was a GRVT visual radio, allowing him to see the person who was calling as well as communicating. On the screen was a woman, light brown complexion, looked to be in her early twenties. Her dark brown hair was pulled back as a headset spanned her head. She wore a pair of glasses, which seemed to suit her business-like appearance. She wore a black business suit over a white, v-necked collared shirt. She looked good.

"Leon, I hope you can hear me," she began. "I'm Ingrid Hunnigan. I'll be your support on this mission."

"So now I put the name to the face," Leon replied. "Yeah, I can hear you loud and clear. Somehow, I thought you'd be a little older."

She smirked.

"So the subject is Ashley Graham, right?" he asked.

"That's right. She's the daughter of the President." A small, barely noticeable grin played about her lips. "So try and behave yourself, okay?"

He scoffed. "Whoever this group is, they sure picked the wrong girl to kidnap."

"I'll see if I can find more information about this group from my end as well," she replied.

"Good. I'll talk to you later. Leon out."

Holstering his radio, he moved further down the road and made out a house in the near distance, less than a hundred yards away.

_Rundown looking place…_

While the building looked intact, he noticed some wood nailed in a few spots on the roof, a window that had been boarded up…he began to wonder if anyone even lived there. Next to the door was a window with blinds, although he could see a few openings in them. Beside the house was an old, beat-up truck. The door was open, from what he saw. He walked up the small stairs and peered inside. It was dark inside, the walls looking brown and decayed from years of exposure to the elements and neglect. Slowly he walked further in, taking out his handgun just in case. The entry room took a turn to the right. The sounds of a fire crackling invaded his ears.

_Maybe…?_

As he turned the corner, he ended up in a dining area. A table and chairs were set up in the middle, and he saw a man bent over tending to a roaring fire in his fireplace. Leon holstered his gun and took a few more steps toward the man. Hoping the man understood English, he attempted communication.

"Uh, excuse me, sir?"

Still bent over, he turned his head toward Leon. Maybe it was the firelight, but the man looked homely indeed. His face was unnaturally pale, his short, curly hair unkempt.

Leon reached behind to his back pocket and pulled out a photograph of the girl, showing a smiling Ashley—long, blond hair, a nice, white round face, and bright hazel eyes. "I was wondering if you might recognize the girl in this photograph."

The man stood up from his fire and glared at him angrily.

"¿Qué carajo haces aquí¡Lárgate, cabrón!"

Not particularly the idea Leon had in mind. He raised his hands as if to gesture 'take it easy' to the man, and began to walk back toward the exit, pocketing the photo. He heard the sound of metal scraping against the floor, then heard quickened footsteps barreling down on him. Leon turned around quickly just in time to see the man give out a loud yell, accompanied by an axe being swung at his head. He dove out of the way, missing by inches as the blade swung overhead. He scrambled to his feet and put a few feet between him and the crazy person. He pulled out his gun and aimed it toward the slowly advancing man.

"Freeze!" Leon ordered. Nothing. "I said, FREEZE!"

Again, to no avail.

_I warned you._

He opened fire, sending three rounds into the man's chest at point-blank range. Blood spurted out the back where the bullets exited his body. He dropped his axe and fell to the ground, collapsing at Leon's feet, unmoving. His radio beeped again, startling the former R.P.D. cop. Quickly, he turned it on, seeing Hunnigan on the video screen once again.

"Leon, is everything okay?" She asked, her features showing worry. "I just got a distress call from one of your partners. Said they heard gunfire."

"There was a hostile local," he replied calmly. "I had no choice but to neutralize him."

"Get out of there and head toward the village. It's a little further down the path. Take whatever measures necessary to save the subject."

"Understood. Leon out."

Seconds later, he heard the sound of a vehicle's engine coming to life. Peeling off, Leon ran toward the window and looked out from a hole in the blinds. The truck that was sitting on the side of the house was tearing up the road, going as fast as it could toward the parked car with the two officers.

_Oh, SHIT!_

Coming from the doorway, he heard the angry cries of a few more of the locals as they made their way toward the house. He ran toward towards the door and saw three men coming up the stairwell, one with a pitchfork, another with another axe, and one with a small knife.

_Great, the welcoming committee…_

He aimed for the head of the closest one, the one with the pitchfork, and fired. These guys meant business, and right now, he was sorely outnumbered. The first shot tore straight through the head, and he quickly brought his hand up to his face, screaming in pain as blood coursed down his hand. He fired another, and suddenly the head exploded, sending pieces of skin, blood, and bone everywhere, splattering on the man just behind him, coming up the stairs.

_What the hell? _

Off in the distance, he heard the sounds of screaming followed by gunfire, immediately followed by the sound of metal crunching and glass breaking. Leon kicked the villager as he was coming up the small stairs, toppling him onto the one behind. Suddenly, he heard the sounds of pained screams, then two loud splashes.

_NO!_

He opened fire again as the two were getting back up, each handgun bullet cleanly slicing through them as if they were nothing. Six more rounds followed before the two of them were dispatched. As soon as they were down, he ran back toward the wooden bridge where the officers' car had just been, hoping that he'd find that they had survived the drop. That hope began to sink when he saw the black smoke rising from the river beneath. When he arrived at the edge of the embankment, he looked down, only to see two wrecked cars side by side, black smoke pouring from the underside of the totaled officers' car.

_Damn it! Who the hell are these people?_

He stood there for a few more seconds, taking it all in. He was completely alone here, alone in nowhere. Name probably didn't even exist on a map. However, he discovered that he worked best by himself, and so, he'd have to do so again.

_Why am I getting a feeling of déjà vu? _

Resigned to his fate, he did the only thing he could do—he turned around and walked down the road again, wondering what the hell he was about to get himself into after an introduction like that.

_Adios, mi amigos._

_-------- _

END OF PROLOGUE. So, how do you like the opening? Let me know with a review. Look for Chapter One soon.


	2. Chapter One: The Red Carpet Treatment

**Chapter One: The Red Carpet Treatment**

A wooden guidepost, marked "pueblo" pointed the direction toward the village. As Leon walked down the road, he could hear the sounds of an animal in the distance—the sound of a dog whining. Quickening the pace a little, he passed a rundown shack. He checked inside to see if that's where the dog was, but the glance yielded nothing. In the distance, maybe fifty yards ahead was the dog—a light colored mutt, its fur caked with dirt, looking at the approaching man pitifully, its whining continued. It didn't take long to figure out why the dog was whining—one of its hind legs was trapped in a metal bear trap, with blood seeping around where the trap clamped down.

_Poor mutt…_

Kneeling down, he used his strength to pry apart the jaws just enough so that the dog could get his leg out before the resistance clamped it back shut, nearly catching his fingers in the process. The dog let out a yelp, but it didn't seem to be in too much pain as it quickly ran away in a direction diagonal to that of village and out of site. He chuckled.

_My good deed for the day, I guess._

Continuing on, he passed another guidepost and another of the small, broken ramshackle sheds. After walking a few hundred feet, he noticed something red sticking up out of the ground. It was a red piece of wood, maybe a tree branch. At the top, two pieces of wood formed an X, and dangling off each end was a skull.

_Hmm…my guess is that these people don't like outsiders. Best to be careful_.

Not too far ahead, he spotted a bridge, but before it was another small rotted shack. As he ventured closer to the bridge, he sniffed the air, noticing something was off. Something smelled foul, the air starting to reek of death. It was a pungent aroma that was all too familiar to him—the smell of rotting, fetid flesh.

_Damn, that reeks—there a dead animal nearby or something?_

The smell was getting stronger as he approached the bridge, becoming nearly intoxicating as he began walking past the shack. Curiosity starting to get the better of him, he walked into the shack—

--and what he saw made his eyes open in slight surprise. Axed to the wall, hanging off the floor, was what was left of a woman, probably a local. The axe was firmly lodged through her head, the handle and her peasant-style clothes covered in decaying, coagulated blood. A group of flies buzzed around the remains of her skull, adding to the effect.

_Shit, that's disgusting--! If the locals are this violent, then Ashley may be in a shitload more danger than I thought. Better get to the village, and FAST._

Suddenly, he felt that the situation was more urgent than originally anticipated. Nausea was starting to make itself known inside Leon, and he got back outside to the path before that could progress any further. He slowly made his way across the wooden bridge, but stopped as he heard a voice further up the path. Tilting his head in the direction of the sound, he spotted a group of three males on a small patch of raised land off the path, one of them pointing at him and muttering something in Spanish. Before Leon could attempt to pursue, the three of them ran off like frightened deer into the barren forest.

The path veered to the left after the bridge, and he could make out a stone gate a couple hundred feet ahead. Removing his handgun, standard-issue Beretta M9, from its holster, he checked to see if he had enough ammo. He only had a few bullets left, so he took out a fresh clip from a side pocket on his belt and quickly reloaded. After seeing that gruesome sight just a few minutes ago, he needed to be ready for another run-in with the locals, if they were like the ones he encountered at the outset. Although he was told in his mission briefing to expect something like that, he was still confused as to _why _the locals acted so hostile toward outsiders, to the point of murder. Heck, maybe they preferred to be left in peace. Still, it was a question that needed answering. When he arrived at the gate, he opened it slowly, only to see that the path continued on straight for a little ways. However, he could spot a clearing ahead. Walking quickly, he looked for a vantage point to check out the village.

The air was still and silent, which allowed him to listen for anything else that could be moving nearby. Up ahead, the path split into two, but a large tree at the fork allowed Leon the vantage point he needed—a straight, clear shot at the village. Pulling a set of binoculars out of an inner jacket pocket, he looked through it, adjusted the zoom, and took a good look. The first thing he noticed was a massive bonfire in the middle of the open—a large, tall stake was sticking up out of the middle. Attached to the stake was a sharp, rusty metal hook.

_Damn…_

Impaled and burning at the stake was one of the two officers assigned with Leon, obviously quite dead, a massive bloodstain spreading over his torso. His skin was beginning to darken from the fire and heat, and some of his uniform pants were starting to burn. The officer's face was twisted and contorted, frozen in an expression of extreme pain, looking as if he died in terrific agony. Walking around the bonfire were assorted villagers, going about their business. A woman dressed in peasant-style clothing--skirt, apron, headdress, looking similarly like an Amish woman's attire—was carrying a pail in each hand, probably to milk a cow that Leon heard in the background. Closest to Leon, a man was using a pitchfork to move hay out of a silo. Off to the right, another man was using a wheelbarrow to move what looked like manure. Aside from the sickening bonfire, life seemed to look normal for a village like this. It looked a like a village that remained stuck in the past. Most of its buildings were made of wood that had showed signs of age and disrepair—to the left, a silo, a two-story house, and a tall tower. Dead ahead and furthest away, way off in the distance on top of a hill was a stone building that appeared to be a church—at the top was a spire, and he could make out a church bell. Closer and also directly in front of Leon was a building that looked like a meeting place or something—a large door was adorned with a strange symbol. Coming back on the right, he could make out what looked like another residence and a stable for livestock.

Putting his binoculars back into his coat pocket, he noticed that the path to his left seemed to go around the village, or at least, around the row of buildings to his left. Perhaps he'd sneak around, trying to be as quiet as he could. He decided he wanted to check out the church first, since he doubted that Ashley could be hiding in one of these little residences. With his gun still drawn, he ventured to his left. As he started walking past the silo, he could hear conversation between the villagers in Spanish. Leon, knowing little, couldn't understand.

Between the buildings was some space, enough to walk through. He caught a glimpse of a villager walking toward him, then ducked back behind the silo.

_Fuck…_

He quickly began double back toward the main path, when suddenly he heard a wild, feral shriek coming from the silo.

"_¡Un forastero!_"

_SHIT!_

Spotted, the shriek alerted the villagers. In a matter of seconds, Leon could hear angry cries from all around the village, and the sounds of running footsteps in his direction. Turning around, he could see a woman running toward him, her shirt front spattered with blood, her face fixed with a look of sheer lunacy, of crazed madness. Her eyes wide, she ran at him, a long knife raised in her hand. Leon opened fire, firing two rounds in quick succession. The bullets sliced into her torso, spurting blood onto the brown earth. She screamed in pain, and stumbled back a few steps. He began to run at her, taking advantage of the few seconds to evade. As he ran past her, she let out a lunging cry, swinging the blade wildly. Leon turned around and quickly fired another round into the back of her skull, immediately staining her white headdress with dark, crimson blood. With that, she let out a moan and fell to the ground.

His success was short lived—two more villagers were running toward him in between the silo and the two-story house, running full speed at him, armed with an axe and a pitchfork. Coming from Leon's left, back toward the church, three more crazed locals, screaming obscenities, were running at him as well, also armed. They were going to try to flank him.

_Who the fuck are these people?!_

Running toward the two, he fired a round into the first one's leg, forcing him to drop his axe as he kneeled to the ground. Wasting no time, he let out a cry and landed a kick squarely on the madman's face, knocking him back into the oncoming pitchfork-wielding man. He fired three rapid rounds into his face, sending chunks of skin flying. Screaming, he raised a hand to his face, pouring blood. He ran past the two, through the narrow passageway, and suddenly, he found himself out in the wide open, lookingaround frantically for his next course of action. With his heart pounding, he didn't have time to look—coming to close in on him was a horde of men and women, most of them armed, and closing fast.

"_¡Aquí está!_"

"_¡Vos voy a romper a pedazos!_"

Closest, and now behind him, was the two-story house. Frantic, he bolted into the house and slammed the door shut behind him.

_I need something to barricade the door with…!_

Along the wall was a shelving unit, possibly a bookcase. Whatever—it was heavy. Moving fast, he quickly shoved the heavy piece of furniture in front of the door, hoping that would give him enough of a delay to look for another way out.

"Damn it!" Leon said aloud, realizing that he was horribly outnumbered, and that now an entire village was hell-bent on killing him in the worst way possible.

"¡No dejes que se escape!" shouted a male, as he motioned with his hand to some others.

"Who are these people?" Leon said aloud, looking out of a window near the door. Villagers were running around the sides of the house, yelling angrily.

_What are they planning? How could this get any worse?!_

Seconds later, a new sound filled the air—a sound that made Leon's blood run cold: the unmistakable sound of a chainsaw roaring to life. He spotted a man running out of the livestock stable—a big, burly, bulky man wearing what appeared to be a potato sack over his head, like an executioner, with nothing but two slits where the eyes would be. He began running toward the house, his target inside.

"Great. A chainsaw," Leon said aloud to himself again, sarcastically calm, as if he was expecting something so outlandish and bizarre. After Raccoon City, nothing seemed to faze him anymore. He'd used up most of his quota of fear for life with that mess six years prior. A crash of broken glass coming from the upstairs brought him back again.

_SHIT!_

He bolted up the stairs, turned the corner just in time to see another of the crazed knife-wielding women clumsily trying to get off a ladder and into the upstairs bedroom. Before she could, Leon fired a quick round into her chest. She screamed a piercing shriek as the impact was enough to knock her off the ladder and onto the hard ground below, hitting the earth with a loud thud. Running to the window, he looked down and saw several others climbing up the ladder, eager for blood.

Leon chuckled and pushed the ladder away from the window, sending a wave of alarmed screams through the air as the villagers toppled. A second later, he heard the sound of a chainsaw slicing through wood, its droning sound loud and piercing. The upstairs bedroom had two windows, a storage chest and a bed. Knowing he had only seconds to spare before the chainsaw-wielding lunatic broke through, he quickly reloaded his handgun. His gaze fell to the bed, where he saw something out of the corner of his eye—something that could help him very much so.

_Looks like someone forgot their gun…_

Lying on the bed was a shotgun with shoulder strap. He picked it up, examined it, put it around his neck. Before he could do anything more, he heard an angry yell, followed by the sounds of wood splintering and a roaring chainsaw.

_Oh, hell._

Peering out the second window, he noticed that there was metal warehouse roofing material going around the side of the house, possibly set up as a walkway to the roof. Heavy footsteps barreled up the stairs, the chainsaw roaring louder and louder as Leon saw the huge man come into view. He was twenty feet away, tops, and began swinging the chainsaw wildly, hoping to catch Leon in its blade.

_Hope you've got shells…_

He cocked the shotgun, quickly aimed—

--and felt the recoil of the shotgun slam into his shoulder as a loud, deafening shot filled the air, magnified by the small room. The hot slug tore out of the barrel, ripping into the man's chest, the point-blank force knocking him into the wall. Not wanting to stick around, Leon kicked the glass of the window, shattering it on contact, and climbed out onto the metal roofing. There was nowhere else for him to go except around the back of the house, anything to escape the freak with the chainsaw. He turned the corner and found himself suddenly at the end of the walkway, his only option to jump off. He could hear Chainsaw-Man climbing out of the window as he jumped off the roofing to the ground ten or so feet below.

"¡Te voy a matar!"

_Shit…_

He landed back out in the wide open again, right in the middle of vulnerability. Five villagers, male, all armed, ran blindly toward the government agent, screaming angrily. One of them, armed with a hatchet, threw it right at him. He dodged quickly, the blade missing his head by a few inches. He grabbed the shotgun again, cocked it, aimed, and fired again, filling the air with a loud, explosive shot. The shell dispersed into the group, ripping a massive chunk of the front man's side, killing him immediately. A few others clutched their sides in pain, dropping their weapons.

"_¡Mierda!_" screamed the male in the back, his face contorted in anger, his face dotted from the blood sprayed by the shotgun fire.

From behind, coming from a path branching near the church, an angry female scream cut through the air as the shotgun blast faded. Turning quickly, he saw her heading another small horde of angry crazed locals, this time all female, arms raised, all holding rusty blades, and charging for Leon.

_God damn it! Don't you people ever quit?!_

Suddenly, he could hear the sound of a chainsaw from somewhere in the scrum—that freak had burst out of the front door of the house, chainsaw swinging wildly and charging toward the former cop. He'd be on him in a couple of seconds, as the villagers moved to trap him. He dove out of the way, hitting the ground just in time, hearing the sounds of a shrieking male villager as the chainsaw tore into his neck, blood, bone and sinew spraying everywhere, the man gurgling, choking, screaming, before his head flew off his body. The body crumpled to the ground, dark crimson fluid staining the earth where he fell. In the man's bloodlust to saw off Leon, he accidentally swung the live blade into one of his own, giving Leon a few more precious seconds to move. Screams and angry Spanish filled the air, drowning out anything else except for Leon's own frantic heartbeat. He knew that he wasn't going to be able to outlast the entire village much longer.

The group of crazed women continued to advance, now about a hundred feet away from his current position. He got his shotgun ready, praying that it had at least one more shell in the barrel, took aim—

--when suddenly, the sound of a church bell cut through the air. Everyone, including Leon, looked up at the top of the church in the distance. It rang again, its tolling echoing throughout the land, and suddenly, to Leon's bewilderment, everyone began to drop their weapons, even the madman with the chainsaw. He lowered his shotgun as he watched this scene unfold before him, his mind not comprehending.

_What the hell?_

As the bell continued to steadily ring, the villagers began to walk toward the building with the strange symbol, moaning and droning, speaking various phrases in their native Spanish. They walked past Leon, suddenly not even knowing he was standing in front of them, confused, bewildered—if they wanted to kill him, right now would've been the perfect time.

"Lord…Saddler…" a male moaned in monotone as he walked past.

In just a few minutes, the villagers had all piled into the church, as if the bell was some sort of signal. Maybe it was a call to religious prayer or service—but these people just tried to kill him mere minutes ago!

As the last villager closed the thick metal door, the air was still and silent again, save for the droning of the chainsaw dropped. As if nothing ever happened. What was once an entire village seeking to exact murder now was barren. Empty. Silent. No sign of life. A cow mooed. A hen clucked.

All Leon could do was scoff.

"Where's everyone going? Bingo?"

-------

END OF CHAPTER ONE. Wow, got a lot of reviews just on the Prologue alone. Keep it coming! Let me know what you think! Chapter Two to be up soon.


	3. Chapter Two: The Big Cheese

**Author's Note: **Thank you for all the reviews that have come in so far. As far as I can tell, most of you are enjoying this story, and I am appreciating the feedback. I did receive an anonymous review that pointed out an inconsistency with Hunnigan's physical description. Thank you. I have since corrected it. I also added an extra paragraph in the Prologue, which has been since uploaded. However, let me just remind everyone that this is a novelization--and as such, there may be inconsistencies between the game and this story. Certain things will be edited, removed, or added to make the story more cohesive—as a writer, it is my right. If you are looking for a strategy guide or a walkthrough, you're in the wrong place. So, with that said, on with Chapter Two!

**Chapter Two: The Big Cheese**

_Recently there has been information that a United States government agent is here investigating the village. Don't let this American agent get in contact with the prisoner. For those of you not yet informed, the prisoner is held in an old house beyond the farm. We will transfer the prisoner to a more secure location in the valley when we are ready. The prisoner is to stay there until further notice. Meanwhile, do not let the American agent near the prisoner. _

_We do not know how the American government found out about our village. But we are investigating. However, I feel that this intrusion at this particular time is not just a coincidence. I sense a third party other than the United States government involved here. My fellow men, stay alert! _

_-Chief, Bitores Mendez_

_------------ _

"Hunnigan, I have some bad news," Leon began. "I've confirmed the body of an officer. Something's happened to the people here."

She drew a look of concern. "I suggest you get out of there for now—find a way out and search for the subject."

Leon nodded. "Leon out."

Still baffled by the Pavlov-like procession that just took place, he decided that there wasn't anything more he could do about it, and began to walk toward the meeting building. To the left, a trail branched, passing the tall tower. Seeing nothing else, he walked along the dirt path, passing nothing but decaying wood shacks until he reached a gate. He reloaded his handgun and opened the gate, the pistol raised and ready.

He was led into another section of the village, and as he headed down the path, he realized he had walked onto a farm—the assorted livestock dotting the landscape, grazing. It was a decent size plot of land, and on it stood three buildings—a small shack to his left, ahead was another stable for livestock, probably where cows were milked, a two-story barn just across from that, and then a windmill in the distance. Some of the panels were broken, and it was spinning very slowly.

On his guard, he cautiously walked along, glancing around the area for any more of those crazy lunatics. He didn't anticipate any—that church bell seemed to have called them all to order.

_What happened to make them all suddenly stop their attack? When that church bell rang, they seemed to just follow mindlessly, as if they were herded like cattle…_

The air was rank with manure and decay, and the assorted mooing coming from the cattle seemed to contrast everything Leon had experienced so far. Just looking at this area normally would've made anyone assume that this was a tranquil place—true, the neglected buildings and decrepit surroundings made one think that the locals here were poor and impoverished, but…what a contrast.

Peering inside the barn, he noticed nothing but small piles of hay, nothing of interest. A ladder led up to the second floor. Walking under a makeshift wooden bridge, Leon noticed a massive door off to his left. From where he was, he couldn't get to it—it was fenced off. With nothing to be found here, he ventured away from the farm, toward another gate a few yards ahead.

_Where does this lead to?_

_------------- _

Bound and gagged, it was useless to resist. Not only was he outnumbered, but the two _ganados _were unusually strong, a result of the parasitic infestation. Where they were taking him, he had no idea. What he did know was that Saddler was out of control—what the hell was he planning to do? What he was planning to do with the _Plagas_ was bioterrorism, to say the very least.

_My research—all my research…damn you, Saddler! I know the truth of your experiments! You're a sick murderer…_

Fed up with the researcher's struggling, one of the _ganados_ threw a swift, solid punch straight into his back, knocking the wind right out of him, causing him to fall to his knees and onto the wood floor. Both of them let out a few chuckles, looking down at the injured man with mock pity.

"¡Míralo, está herido!" one commented, laughing again. Reaching down, they forced him to his feet and began to drag him brusquely into a room of a ramshackle house, dark and rank with mildew. Moaning in pain, the injured man could make out a large piece of furniture, looking like an armoire. He had a pretty good idea of what was about to happen, but was too much in pain to do anything about it. Screaming for help was impossible—not only was his mouth taped shut, but he was sure that these two would shut him up—permanently. They stopped a few feet in front of the closet. The _ganado _who punched the researcher held him in place while the other opened the armoire door. With a hard shove, the man stumbled into the closet, slumping. With a laugh, the door closed, and he could hear the sound of a lock sliding into place. He was surrounded in darkness, helpless. Only a miracle could get him out of this mess.

_Hijo de puta…_

_--------- _

Standing at the top of a hill, Leon noticed the path going down and to the right. The path grew narrow at this point, with stone walls surrounding the sides. As Leon began walked down the path, he noticed the path was terraced, almost as if he was walking down steps. He walked quickly, his gun raised. Ahead and above him was a small bridge spanning the width of the path—with one of the locals looking right at him.

"¡Te encontré!" screamed the male, pointing wildly at Leon.

_Shit. Maybe they weren't ALL at the church._

He raised his gun, aimed steadily at his head, and fired one round. Almost instantly, he heard the man scream in pain as the bullet found its mark, and then he was falling toward the ground, screaming all the way down. He hit the ground with a loud, sickening thud.

_Who was he yelling to?_

As he began walking again, he could hear the sounds of a small group of male voices almost directly above him, grunting, as if they were pushing something. Looking up, he could see the dark outline of a massive boulder being pushed over the side—

_FUCK!_

--and suddenly, he was running as fast as he could as the boulder fell off the side, and was rolling down the hill, fast, the ground shaking as the boulder roared toward him, gaining on the sprinting agent. He heard a sickening crunch as the massive rock crushed the recently shot villager. He sprinted as fast as he could, the pounding in his heart being drowned out by the fast rumbling of the boulder, continuing to speed up as gravity pulled it faster. Just mere feet behind him, he pumped his legs as hard as he could, feeling them beginning to cramp up from the overexertion.

_No, not now, not fucking now!_

Up ahead, less than a hundred feet from Leon at the bottom of the hill was a narrow tunnel, wide enough for a couple of people at most. The boulder wouldn't be able to fit through it.

_Damn, almost there, almost there…!_

He could feel the ground vibrating as he continued to bolt down the hill, the trees and stone passing by in one long blur. Nothing else mattered at the moment—he didn't want to be caught underneath it; it'd be game over and he knew it. He reached the bottom, just feet away from the tunnel—as suddenly he lurched forward, failing to see the slightly raised tree root sticking up out of the ground, as if it was strategically there. He stumbled into the tunnel, tripping, falling…he hit the ground with a hard thud, and suddenly the tunnel rocked violently as the boulder slammed into the entrance, sending pieces of ceiling down to the ground, raining on Leon before the noise faded, and all was silent yet again.

With his heart feeling like it was going to explode, Leon sat on the ground panting, taking some time to catch his breath, his mind refusing to believe what just happened, and how he managed to escape death…again. Surely, his luck wouldn't hold out forever, he thought. But for right now, he was grateful.

_What the hell could these people be hiding, so much so that they're doing everything possible to kill me?! What the fuck do they want? This isn't Raccoon City…back then, those people were the walking dead. What happened to them was a result of a viral outbreak, of which they had no control over. They were conscious of nothing at all…but these people…these people are fully conscious, fully aware of what they're doing. They're actually TRYING to kill me, and they know it. I'm almost certain that whoever these people are, I'm sure they have Ashley. What's their motive? Is that why they're trying to kill me? _

He got back on his feet, brushing off the dirt from his dark blue pants, and looked at the entrance of the tunnel. There was no turning back now—the boulder was completely blocking the entryway. Even if he wanted to turn back now, he couldn't.

_I have to know…_

Turning forward and beginning to walk, he could see the light at the end, about a hundred feet away. Water was dripping from the ceiling in various places, and he could see a bat or two hanging above. The tunnel let out into a wooded area. Three houses were set up here, but from the looks of them, two of them seemed to be abandoned. The one closest to him was actually missing a wall, and moss had covered most of the rest. One straight ahead was mostly intact, but he noticed chunks of the wood paneling were broken and missing in places. One window was boarded up, and another had just one slab of wood nailed the bottom half. The third house, the farthest from Leon's position, looked the most intact. Woods had surrounded all sides of this little area—Leon had come to a dead end. Since the farthest house looked the most intact, he decided he'd go investigate it—maybe he'd find an indication or clue of what these people were all about. With any luck, he'd find Ashley, and they could get out of here. Somehow, he thought that was not going to be quite as easy—he'd only been here about an hour.

As he walked past the first collapsed house, he thought he heard something coming from the next house. He stopped for a second, tilted his head in the direction he thought the sound was coming from and listened. Three seconds passed. Then another. And another. All was silent.

_Must be hearing things…maybe it was some leaves._

Pressing on, he continued his descent down the gentle slope toward the far house. He took only about ten or so steps past the second house, when suddenly he heard a wild scream coming from behind him, male. He spun around quickly, and to his surprise, he saw two men from a hole ripped in the wood siding, one of them appearing to be lighting a fuse—

--_dynamite?!_

The other male, his light blue shirt caked in mud, was also preparing to light a stick of dynamite. The first leaned his arm back, and hurled the explosive at Leon before he could fire. Running out of the way, Leon tore down the hill toward the house, not wanting to be caught in the mess that would ensue. As soon as he got to the door, a loud explosion tore through the air, sending splinters of wood and rock everywhere. After the explosion subsided, he tried to open the door to the house—and found it locked, a padlock hanging off the door.

_Who the hell locks a door on the outside?_

Before he could shoot the lock off, he saw the second male ready with another lit stick of dynamite, ready to throw. Suddenly, Leon had a brilliant idea, a slightly devious smile playing across his lips. As the villager leaned his arm back, Leon took aim and fired two shots, one at each male. In less than a second, both villagers fell to their knees, dropping the dynamite as the bullets tore through their legs, screaming in pain. He turned around and fired two quick rounds, easily breaking the lock. As he entered the house, the dynamite exploded, rendering the two males to oblivion, scattering pieces of their bodies everywhere, showering the decaying wood with crimson bloodshed. Leon chuckled.

----------

He heard the explosion from inside the closet, and suddenly he was alert again.

_Mierda…what the hell's going on out there? Maybe it's an outsider and the ganados are trying to kill whoever it is. _

On the chance that it was someone, he felt a sense of renewed hope, and began to hurl himself on the locked closet door with his whole body. Even though his arms and legs were bound—maybe he could bust the door down. A minute later, he heard three gunshots in quick succession, then another explosion. Now he was certain that someone was coming. No one in the village used guns of any kind.

_¿Policía?_

_------------ _

_Damn, what the hell happened here?_

He had walked into a dark, dismal place—the house looked like no one had occupied it for many, many years. The only light that filtered in was from holes in the stone and dead wood. The first room he walked into was the dining room, which still looked intact, more or less. A table and chairs were set up, although wood rot was clearly evident—the whole place stank of mildew and decay. A fireplace behind the table was empty, with nothing but ashes lining the bottom. A few small weeds grew out of them, but nothing more. Some of the wood had rotted away to reveal the stone foundations, which were colored black—maybe the house had sustained some fire damage.

_Who lived here, I wonder…_

As he walked forward into what looked like a living room, he thought he could hear a dull thumping coming from somewhere.

_Hmm?_

He searched the living room, and once again, it looked more of the same. A couch in front of a fireplace was completely overtaken by time and mildew. The walls were lined with bookcases, some of them even had books on them, some scattered about, the pages yellow and musty. The thumping grew louder as he ventured further into the living room. Turning to his left, he could see that a five-shelf bookcase was blocking another doorway, perhaps leading into a bedroom of some kind.

_I wonder…_

Moving to one side, he pushed the bookcase, grunting as the piece of furniture began to slide across the wooden floor. After a few seconds, he pushed it away enough to allow him to squeeze through. What he saw was a hallway, darker than the rest of the house so far, with no windows to allow light. His gun raised, he ventured down the hall. As he hung a right, the banging grew louder. Whatever it was, he was on the right trail. The hall opened up into what could have been a master bedroom—it was barren, save for a boarded-up window which allowed some natural light to filter through. Other than that, it was more of the same dismal ambience that permeated the rest of the house. At the end was a large closet, an armoire. The door was equipped with a simple turn lock. The banging grew louder as Leon put two and two together.

_Who's in there?_

He walked cautiously toward the closet, expecting anything. For all he knew, it could be another freak tied up in here. After experiencing what happened opening doors back in Raccoon City, he wasn't going to take any chances. Moving to the right of the closet, he had his right hand aimed at the floor, ready for whatever was going to fall out. With his other, he turned the lock, the bolt sliding back—

--and a body fell out of the closet, landing on its side before rolling over onto its back. It was a young male from initial appearance, his skin light brown, his hair straight but strewn wildly over his face. His blue eyes were wide with fright as he stared down the barrel of Leon's handgun, aimed directly at him. He moaned loudly, trying as hard as he could, shaking his head, anything to tell his liberator that he was in fact, very much human and not like the villagers at all.

Leon kneeled down and ripped the tape off the male's mouth, taking some of his scruffy beard with it. He gasped, sucking down a mouthful of air, then looked at his savior.

"A little rough, don't you think?" he asked, his Spanish accent clearly noticeable. At least he spoke English, a plus for Leon. Without replying, Leon rolled him over and began to untie the ropes that bound his limbs. He wore a dark brown vest over a white, long-sleeved shirt. He wore long brown pants, the bottoms smeared with dirt indicated that he was probably dragged here.

"You're…not like them?" the man asked, staring at the floor.

Leon worked the captive's wrists free and began working on the ankles. "No. You?"

In a few seconds, the man was no longer bound. He rolled away from Leon and sat up, obviously relieved to be free. "Okay," he began. "I have only one very important question. You got a smoke?"

Leon shook his head. "Got gum."

Before the conversation continued any further, the sounds of approaching footsteps diverted their attention. Leon and the captive looked behind them to see two villagers walking side by side, one armed with a pitchfork, the other an axe. Neither one had a friendly expression on their face. A few steps behind them, a tall figure, easily seven feet tall, came into view, dwarfing the two villagers easily. The man looked very haggard in appearance, his head bald and just as unnaturally pale as the villagers themselves. His eyes were noticeably two different colors—a blue right eye, and a red left eye. There was something about that left eye, a fake quality to it, probably a false eye. He sported a very long black beard with flecks of gray, which hung down to his chest. The man wore a black trench coat which covered his entire body, save for the bottom of his dark black pants with matching black boots. Similarly, he bore a figure and appearance much like the historical Russian figure of Rasputin, and as such, he was not in a happy mood. His facial expression was firm, unwavering, being the type of person no one dared mess with. He stopped in the center, flanked by a villager on either side.

"Perfect," the captive said, disgusted. "The big cheese."

Leon looked at him. "What?" In obvious danger, Leon stood up and charged toward the tall man, hoping to knock him out with a swift kick. He ran and raised his foot, intent on dealing a solid blow to his torso—

--when suddenly, to Leon's shock, the tall man quickly grabbed Leon's foot in mid-kick, and glared at the shocked agent angrily.

_Not good—_

With unusual strength, Leon felt himself getting flung into the air, his body tossed like a rag doll. He sailed over the captive, landing on top of the closet, breaking it as his body fell down, the sounds of splintering wood drowning out everything. He felt himself slamming painfully hard onto the floor, landing on top of the captive. Stunned, the wind knocked out of him, he could only look upside down as the three walked slowly toward them. Completely off-guard and helpless, he felt his vision going black until finally, he was rendered unconscious.

---------

END OF CHAPTER TWO. Keep the reviews coming! Look for Chapter Three soon!


	4. Chapter Three: Lady in Red

**Chapter Three: Lady in Red**

_Feeble humans…let us give you our power._

He had no idea where he was, no clue at all. All he knew was that he couldn't do anything.

A man walked toward him with something in his hand—a syringe of sorts. Attached to the syringe was a translucent purple fluid—inside was a white small object, small. He could feel his head being tilted back, but was too out of it to do anything. He could feel the cold metal needle touch his neck and pierce his skin, feel the contents of the syringe being injected into his body.

_Soon, you will become unable to resist this…intoxicating power…_

_----- _

Leon woke up, startled, and realized that he had been moved. Last thing he had remembered was seeing "the big cheese," as the Spaniard referred to him, and he getting knocked unconscious. Now, he had found himself inside a large, empty room, surrounded by bland cement walls. There was one window in here, sandbags piled up near it. Some shelves were along the walls, and on some of them contained ammunition for various weapons. In one corner of the room stood all of Leon's belongings, weapons and all. He realized that he found himself a little cold, and realized that his brown bomber jacket had been removed somewhere between there and here. He had no idea how long he was out for, but from looking out the window, it was still day--horribly overcast and dismal, but still daytime. He tried to move, but realized that his wrists were bound, and that he was back to back with the Spaniard, their wrists bound. With his senses returning, he jostled himself, trying to get the man's attention.

"Hey—wake up."

He stirred and looked around at his new surroundings. "Ay yi yi…crawl out of one hole and into another."

"You wanna tell me what's going on here?" Leon asked.

"Ah, Americano¿sí? Now what brings a bloke like you to this part of the world?"

Leon tried to break free from his bonds, accidentally hurting the captive.

"Easy, whoever you are."

"Sorry," Leon began. "My name's Leon. I came here looking for this girl." Somehow he managed to wriggle his wrists enough to fish the picture of Ashley out of his back pocket. The man turned his head enough to catch a glimpse of the picture. "Have you seen her?"

The man chuckled. "What, are you supposed to be a cop or something? Nah…you don't look the type."

Leon smirked. "Maybe."

"Okay, let me guess," said the man. "She's the President's daughter?"

Leon chuckled. "That's too good for a guess. Wanna start explaining?"

"Psychic powers." He stopped for a moment and laughed. "Nah, just kidding with you, amigo. I overheard one of the villagers talking something about the President's daughter in the church. Problem is, there's a secret passage somewhere in the village to get there. I don't know where it is, exactly."

"And who might you be?"

"Me llamo Luis Sera," the man answered. "Now I'm just a good-for-nothing guy, who happens to be quite the ladies' man."

"Why'd you quit?"

Luis scoffed. "Policía…you put your life on the line, no one really appreciates you enough for it. Being a hero isn't what it's cracked up to be anymore."

Outside, someone nearby was dragging something heavy along the ground.

"I used to be a cop myself," Leon added. "Only for a day though."

Luis chuckled. "I thought I was bad."

Leon continued. "Somehow I managed to get involved with the incident in Raccoon City on my first day in the force."

Luis drew a look of surprise. "That is the incident with the viral outbreak, right? I may have seen a sample of the virus in the lab at my former department."

Before they could go any further, the sound of scraping metal caught their attention. Coming into the room was one of the male villagers, blood splattered all over his face and shirt front, leering at them. He was dragging a large, heavy rusty axe laden with fresh, wet blood. Quickly, the two bound men tried to move out of the way, knowing full well what he was about to do with that axe—and it wasn't going to be killing livestock or chopping wood. He muttered something in Spanish and raised the axe high over his head.

"Do something, cop!" Luis yelled, panicked.

"After you!" Leon yelled back as the axe began coming down.

"_Now!_"

Leon and Luis pulled themselves apart as far as they could go, stretching the rope between them.

The axe came down fast, slicing clean through the rope, releasing them from their bonds. The crazed man screamed an obscenity in Spanish as Luis rolled away quickly. The man raised his axe quickly, advancing on Leon. Before he could come back down again, Leon swung around on the floor and planted a foot solidly in the man's stomach, forcing him to drop his axe. His facial features turned to surprise as Leon grabbed the man's arms and pulled them, using his foot and leg for leverage, raising it up and throwing the man behind him. He slammed into the wall, then fell to the floor, his neck breaking in a sickening, disgusting crunch. His body slumped to the floor, limp and unmoving. Luis rose quickly to his feet, took one glance at Leon, then ran out of the room, down the hall, and out of sight, panic overtaking him.

Leon got up and brushed the dirt off his pants before going to the far corner and re-equipping his belongings. He was a little annoyed about the jacket—he really liked that jacket. Kept him warm. He'd have to settle for what he had on—a charcoal black 5.11 tactical shirt with matching pants and shoes. Luckily his radio was there—how long had it been since he contacted Hunnigan? He grabbed his radio and signaled for the young woman. A few seconds later, her attractive face came onto the screen.

"It's Leon. Sorry I couldn't get in touch earlier—I was a bit tied up."

Either she didn't get the joke or she chose to ignore it. "You're okay, right?"

"Yeah. There was a male civilian held captive. According to him, Ashley's in a church somewhere."

"What happened to him?"

"He managed to escape."

"Do you have a fix on the location on that church?" she asked.

"No, but it can't be too far. I'm guessing it's back in the village—the civilian told me of a hidden passage somewhere there. I'm heading back to the village. Leon out." Before he left, he checked the room to see if any of the ammo lying around could be useful. While most of it looked like explosives, he did see some assorted handgun ammunition, about four clips' worth, and about ten shotgun shells. He loaded up, and with that, he walked out, took a right down the hall. Opening the exit, he found himself in total unfamiliarity, a large door directly in front of him. He had noticed that it was getting a bit darker, and a light drizzle began to fall, adding to the increased chill. He moved the giant metal door slowly—and what he saw even made him more lost than he already was. He found himself standing on top of a hill, looking down and beyond the life below. It was a compound, makeshift wood and metal shacks and sheds built and cut into the sheer stone faces that surrounded the area, connected by a complex network of loosely thrown together wooden bridges that spanned the chasm. Off in the distance, he could see more of the same. Hundreds of feet below, the sound of moving water provided background noise. To the far left, some distance away, he noticed a single gate, most likely his exit—he didn't see anything else.

_Wow…where the hell am I?_

To make matters difficult, Leon noticed more of the crazy people scattered throughout the compound. He began to plan his route to get to the gate--there was no being stealthy here, unfortunately—he was going to have to take out a few of them to get to his destination. All he hoped for was that he'd have enough ammo.

_This could be interesting…_

He only took one step out onto the narrow path when he heard someone call out in alert—and suddenly, all eyes were on Leon.

"_¡Un forastero!_"

_Yep. Right on cue._

Sighing, Leon could only watch as they began coming out of everywhere—out of the shacks, running across the bridges, most of them armed. He raised his pistol and charged down the path, opening fire.

--------

Stealthily moving among the barren woods, staying off but close to the main path, the agile female closed in to her next destination—the house of the village Chief, Bitores Mendez. She had received some information that three of the big guys behind this cult were going to meet here, probably to discuss some new developments about the American agent sent here by the United States government. She had been in for a bit of a shock, though. While her anonymous tip to the government was received and carried out with unusual urgency, especially for a bureaucracy that was notorious for dragging its feet over _anything_, she had no idea about _who _the government was going to send. When she saw him in the village, she couldn't believe that by chance, here he was again. She knew that he'd escaped Raccoon City six years ago, but thought she'd never see him again. Now, here he was.

_Leon…Wesker had known all along that Leon was going to be the agent sent to save the President's daughter, I'm sure of it. Bastard._

She had been under orders by Albert Wesker, former chief of the Raccoon City Special Tactics and Rescue Squad and high-ranking scientist at Umbrella Pharmaceuticals, to obtain a sample of the Plaga parasite, a powerful creature that attacked the nervous system and ultimately took control of the host body. However, she had her own game to play, her own motives altogether different from Wesker. Having Leon in the picture now could very easily play to her advantage, but she knew that he was a different man, much different from the naïve, inexperienced rookie cop she met years ago. Six years ago, he had taken a bullet for her, figuratively and quite literally, and while she regarded most men as scum and quite expendable, so long as she achieved her ultimate objective, she couldn't help but have at least some feelings, some genuine concern for him. Six years ago, she, much against her judgment and all of her training, fell in love with Leon. He had presumed her dead, and as such, the romantic feelings had subsided. Now it wasn't so much love, per se, but she did least care for him enough that he should live. After all, he could be of genuine advantage in this whole deal. She was here to collect samples of what was called _Las Plagas, _parasites that attached themselves inside a person's body, causing them to behave irrationally, among other things.

She had been at the village when Leon first came into it, sitting hiding behind the gathering building, which she discovered an underground passage leading to the church on the hill. From her vantage point, all she was doing was watching the goings-on. Granted, she had more of an advantage than Leon, having experience with these _ganados _before. However, she knew that it would be difficult, even for her, if they came at her in the numbers that they were attacking when Leon arrived. She had dispatched a few of them herself on the way to the village. It was here that she had noticed exactly _who _the United States sent, and when she noticed it was in fact, the former cop who helped her throughout that horrible nightmare, she just couldn't put a bullet through his head. When she noticed that Leon was becoming horribly outnumbered, she had secretly crept into the building, not being noticed in all the chaos—all the villagers' attention was on Leon. Quickly running through the underground passage, she managed to get to the church, aimed her gun, and shot the bell, knowing full well that the sound was going to drive them away from Leon before she ran back into the woods again, out of sight and out of mind. Leon had no idea.

_I hope you're grateful, Leon…twice now, I've saved you. Wesker can go rot in hell for all I care…but he too can be of some value._

Now here she was, arrived at her next destination. She had worn a long dark red dress which exposed most of her upper back. The form-fitting article hugged her curves and showed off her body very nicely—she was sexy and she knew it, which was always a plus for getting information out of males. She was never afraid to show off her body, so long as the ends justified the means. She was by no means a slut—quite the contrary. Before any horny man could get into bed with her, or before the intimacy grew too hot on heavy, she usually had obtained enough information and usually killed the poor sap thereafter. Men were suckers for a nice set of breasts and a tight, delicately curved ass, she reasoned, and therefore, a plus for her. The dress ran down the length of her body, and had a long slit which ran up almost to the top of her right leg which exposed the shapely limb. Several butterflies had been sewn into the dress, her favorite creature. Her dark, straight black hair came down to her neck, but not long enough to hide the black leather collar she had worn around it. Tied high on her right leg was her gun holster.

She wore black heels—how any woman could walk through rough terrain and forest and heels was a mystery; but she was a trained assassin, and as such, practiced her craft. She could maneuver in anything. She rather loved this dress, not minding the fact that it was quite chilly out. It was one of the benefits of years of training, the ability to handle any type of terrain in any type of condition. She was a professional. However, even she was prone to mistakes, which led to her near death in Raccoon City, only to be saved by the swine Wesker. Apparently, Wesker still had some use for her, and so in the ensuing chaos before Raccoon City was wiped off the map, he grabbed her away from certain death and had her treated. Not wishing to be bound, she fled, still bandaged but able to perform her duty, and managed to leave the city before it blew to hell.

As she approached a nearby window, she could just make out two voices in conversation, speaking in their native Spanish. One of them had a deep voice, and the other had a high pitched, almost squeaky voice. Peering inside, she could make out the three figures, two of them seated on fine leather chairs, both of them directly in her view. Seated farthest back, facing her, she could make out a male wearing a dark head covering and cape draped over his dark blue robes. Along his chest, a gold chain connected the two ends of the cape. In the center was a figure made out of gold—a thin vertical rod which had four branches off of it, with a ruby or other red jewel in the center, possibly a symbol for something, but she didn't know what. Seated in front of him, with his back to her, sat what appeared to be a much shorter male—all she could see was the very top of his head: a dark blue tri-corner hat. Standing between the two and off to the left was Mendez himself—tall, bald, a long black beard to go with his long black trench coat. He just seemed to be watching the two, adding some conversation where it seemed necessary.

Unfortunately, from where she was, the conversation was too muted. Besides, they were speaking in Spanish, a language she didn't understand. As she tried to get a better look, Mendez suddenly turned in her direction. Ducking quickly, she waited a minute before attempting to peer inside again. When she tried again, she had noticed that Mendez had left her field of view, leaving just the two of them.

_Did he spot me?_

Regardless, there was nothing more she could do here, and decided to go around, see if she could enter the house or at least get a better vantage point. Walking around, she managed to get herself around to a rear entrance, breaking a few rotted slabs of wood fence to do so—a set of covered stairs leading up to said door. Slowly, she went upstairs, into the hallway. As she hung a right, she found herself blocked by a strange-looking door. It wasn't a regular door by any means—it didn't even have any handles on it, from what she could gather. Designs adorned the sides of the stone door, and she noticed two insignias carved on either side of the door, looking very similar to the symbol set on the robe of the hooded man. Set in the center, at eye level was a blue-green ball, about the size of a volleyball. She cautiously reached and touched the ball—finding that it was smooth and cool to the touch, possibly made out of glass or some other material. She touched it again, and discovered that the round sphere could move as well. Set in the stone was an object—a rod with four branches coming off it, but looked like it was turned to one side. Perhaps this was a lock mechanism.

_I wonder…_

She moved the glass sphere so that the object inside matched the appearance of the insignias on each side. She guessed correctly, as suddenly she could hear the sounds of clicking, followed by the door receding into the wall, pulled by some sort of mechanism.

_Not bad, Ada._

Before she could take another step further, she could hear the sounds of heavy footsteps approaching from somewhere in front of her. Whoever it was, she didn't want to stick around and find out—she was in a narrow hall, with virtually no ability for movement. If it was Mendez, she was fucked. Turning around, she quickly left the hall and went back outside, running down the stairs and back outside. As she began to move, she spotted a flicker of movement out of the corner of her eye—down the path, several hundred feet away, she saw someone coming up out of the ground, out of a well, it seemed.

_Missing your jacket, Leon?_

It was unmistakably Leon, minus his brown jacket—the mushroom-like hair, the muscular-toned body, the facial features firm and unyielding, details she recognized from long ago.

_Attractive man,_ she thought, pausing slightly as a few memories came back. _What I wouldn't have done to have you all to myself back then…foolish woman I was. What's past is past, I suppose. Who knows? We may still meet before all this is over._

As he was heading up the path, she doubled back around the corner, out of sight, wondering what Leon was about to be greeted with—maybe the two men inside had foreseen Leon's arrival and sent Mendez to deal with him. Either way, she felt that she needed to stick around, not only for her own sake but for Leon's as well.

---------

Taking a small breather as he approached a house, he took a moment to check what he had left in terms of ammo—he had used plenty in getting to this point, what with navigating through the compound and whatnot. It had been easier than he thought, and the more of these he encountered, the more he began to realize that these people acted like cattle, mindlessly drawn to whatever stimulus that triggered some sort of active response.

_The church bell…they all just dropped everything and plodded inside the church. And just before, at the compound…they just kept coming in droves. A normal person would realize—don't stand on a bridge while engaged in combat. One shot and you fall to your death. Still, they just kept coming, mindlessly trying to kill me. They're like lemmings._

After traipsing through, he happened upon a small abandoned facility. There was various equipment for mining scattered about, along with some broken machinery, but nothing else of interest. Now here he was, and for the moment, he took advantage of the tranquility. He had five clips of handgun ammo left and five shotgun shells. He'd have to conserve his remaining ammo. He wasn't banking on luck to find more ammunition lying around. The only place left to go was into the house on top of the hill. With both guns loaded and ready, he raised his handgun and walked up the stairway, taking a right with the hall. He noticed a recession in the wall, possibly a place for a door.

Regardless, he had walked into a lavish room, a bedroom that looked in stark contrast to all of the rundown, rotted and falling apart places he'd seen so far. The walls were painted a light green, with very nice paneling all around. In the corner to his right, a full sized bed sat, the sheets nice, white, and clean, with four gold bedposts. A window allowed light to come in, and next to the window was a very nice looking desk, the wood finished a dark brown. On top of the desk was an open book with some writing in it, a pen sitting in between the pages. Next to the bed was an armoire, similar to the one Luis was found in not long prior. In the far right corner was a bookcase, every shelf filled with books. Finally, a door led out to somewhere else. In between the desk and the bookcase, a portrait hung off the wall—it was a headshot of a man dressed in what might have been religious robes—he wore a dark purple head covering. He looked a bit distinguished.

_Wow…might there actually be civilized people living here? Maybe a village official or someone with money?_

As Leon walked around the room, he stopped at the desk and took a look at the writing in the book—it was a handwritten note, and to Leon's surprise, was in English.

_As instructed by Lord Saddler, I have the agent in confinement, alive. Why keep him alive? I do not fully understand what the Lord's intentions are. I would, however, think he'd keep them separate; not confine them together as has been ordered. I don't expect Luis would trust a stranger, but if by chance they did cooperate, the situation could get a bit more complicated. If for some reason, an unknown third party is involved, I don't think they'd let a chance like this slip by…but maybe it's all in Lord Saddler's plan--leaving us vulnerable so that this third party will surface, if they even exist that is..._

_It's an unlikely possibility, but if a prowler is already amongst us, then our plans could be ruined. I guess the Lord thinks it's worth the risk, if we're able to stop whatever conspiracy is at work. At any rate, it's the Lord's call. We will trust his judgment as always._

The note ended there, and Leon's mind began to process the new information, probably recently written.

_Well, that slightly explains the villagers' constant moaning of this guy's name. Maybe it's the guy in the painting here…looks like I need to find him and see what's up. And what situation does he mean? Does it involve Ashley somehow? Sounds like I have to get a move-on…_

As he began to exit the room, he heard two voices in conversation coming from somewhere in the house. With his gun at the ready, he took a couple of steps into the hall, noticing that the voices were male—one deep, and one high-pitched, possibly a child. Before he could venture any further, he heard two heavy footsteps behind him, charging at him. He spun around quickly, ready to fire—

--when suddenly, he was grabbed by the neck by a huge, muscular hand, and suddenly he felt himself being lifted into the air by the man's single hand, choking and gagging, his hands grasping the man's fingers in an attempt to pry them apart. It was the village chief, the big cheese, looking directly at him, his face menacing. Leon could feel the man's red and blue eyes peering directly into his soul as he fought for air, struggling to breathe, to break free from Mendez's grasp. He tightened his grip on the flailing agent, then began to look at him with curiosity. Quickly, Leon began to feel a strange sensation creep over his body, like he was losing control, being drawn away from his own mind, and his eyes began to change color. Mendez noticed the red irises that Leon had begun to show, and then a few seconds later, dropped him to the ground.

Leon's eyes returned to normal, and he stood there gasping, sucking down mouthfuls of the fresh air, feeling control return to him. Mendez towered over him, looking angrily at the outsider.

"Hmmm…" Mendez began. "You carry the same blood as us, it seems," he said, his voice deep and very raspy. "Nevertheless, you're an outsider. Just remember, if you become a nuisance to our eyes, you face severe consequences." With that, he turned and went into the room, slamming the door behind him.

Leon stood us, panting as his heart was returning to normal. He looked at the door, confused.

"What?" he said to himself. "Same blood?" _What the hell does he mean?_

Anxious for an answer and feeling a little pissed that the cheese got the drop on him twice, he picked up his handgun, raised it and walked back into the room that Mendez just went into. He took several steps into the room, saw Mendez, aimed to fire—and suddenly, with amazing speed, Mendez whirled around and punched Leon square in the face, knocking him to the floor as Leon fired a wild shot which landed straight in the forehead of the man in the portrait. He fell to the floor hard, knocking the gun out of his hand, his face screaming in pain. Not bleeding, but knew that it was going to leave a mark, he began to get up when Mendez walked over and planted a foot squarely on Leon's chest, pinning him down and starting to press harder. Leon grabbed the man's massive leg and tried to move it, not meeting with any success as Mendez began to restrict his breathing—

--when two shots rang out, breaking the window panes, landing squarely in Mendez's left shoulder. Turning quickly behind, Mendez saw a woman dressed in red, hanging outside the window. Angry, he let out a growl, took his foot off Leon, and charged the window, attempting to tackle her and beat her into a pulp. Leon quickly got up and grabbed his gun, hoping to catch a glimpse of his sudden savior. Only getting a split second, he noticed that it was a woman of Asian descent, wearing a beautiful dark red dress. Before Mendez could get her, she pulled a trigger on her grappling gun and suddenly flew up out of sight as Mendez leaped through the window, shattering the remaining glass and out of sight, determined on finding and killing her.

_Woman in red…somehow so familiar…could it be?_

_No, it couldn't be…she died in Raccoon City…did she?_

_------- _

END OF CHAPTER THREE. So far, so good. Look for Chapter Four soon! Let me know what you think!


	5. Chapter Four: Sanctuary of Hell

**Chapter Four: Sanctuary of Hell**

_Regarding the two fugitives, the apprehension of Luis is our top priority; the American agent a distant second. What Luis stole from us is far more important than the girl. Unless we get it back, the girl will become useless to us. We must get it back to execute our plan to the end. If it gets in the wrong hands, the world would become a totally different place than what Lord Saddler has envisioned._

_At all costs, we mustn't let that happen._

_Nevertheless, we're not letting go of the girl. To ensure that the agent does not get to her, I have locked the church door where the girl is being held. Anyone who needs access to the church must first get approval by Lord Saddler. There is a key beyond the lake but it should be safe now that the "Del Lago" has been awakened by our Lord. No one will get across the lake alive. Plus, our same blood courses through the agent's veins. It'll be just a matter of time before he joins us. Once he does, there will be nobody else left that will come looking for the girl._

_--Chief, Bitores Mendez_

_----- _

The sound of his radio beeping broke his train of thought, nearly startling him doing so. He grabbed it from its holster, and there was Hunnigan's face, her features firm and business-like.

"Leon, I've been able to get ahold of some new intelligence that may help you. Just came in a few minutes ago."

"Fill me in."

"Apparently, there is a religious cult group involved," she began. "They're called the Los Illuminados."

"Los Illuminados?" Leon scoffed. "That's a mouthful. Anyway, I've had an unexpected run-in with the big cheese of this village, apparently."

"But you're okay, right?" she asked, concerned.

"Yeah, surprisingly. He could've killed me—nearly did. He let me live—well, not really. Someone or something caught his attention, fired at him, and he chased after whatever it was. I got lucky. He also mentioned something about me having the same blood as him—whatever that means."

She looked at him quizzically. "Carrying the same blood…interesting…"

"There's more important things than solving riddles right now—I'm gonna see if I can find that church. Leon out."

As he put the radio back in its holster, he looked back at the shattered window again, once again in thought.

_Maybe a woman who looked like her? She's dead…I watched her die. Ah, well. Can't stay here all day thinking._

He walked back out into the hallway again, and realized that the original conversation had ended, silence once more filling the house. He turned the corner and went down a flight of stairs to the first floor. To his surprise, the rest of the house seemed just as nice as above, a total contrast. He was sure that someone of high rank had lived here, perhaps even the Chief himself. Walking into the dining area, he noticed a table and chairs set up neatly and orderly, a fine white tablecloth draped over. On top, place settings were arranged neatly at each chair. To Leon's left was a door, possibly the exit.

_Maybe there are real people here after all…_

Hanging along the wall was another portrait, a painting of the same figure he had seen upstairs—a man wearing dark purple robes over his head. From Hunnigan's new data, he suspected that he was perhaps the leader of the Los Illuminados. With nothing else to do here, he opened the door, only to find himself back outside, back into the dismal, cold day. Getting noticeably darker, he ventured down the path quickly. Nightfall was coming, and he didn't want to be stranded in the village without any sort of shelter or hiding spot. At the bottom of the gentle slope was a stone gate, and as he pushed it open, something immediately thundered in his brain—

--_I was here before._

As he continued down the path, the collection of ramshackle buildings, sheds, and shacks were becoming familiar to Leon. So far, it was quiet, but he had his shotgun ready in case the village was planning to launch a round two. He found himself back in village center, noticing that the bonfire was still very much alive—however, the impaled officer was reduced to mostly bone, charred and blackened. Some skin remained on his upper torso and face, but that too was charred, black, and bubbling.

He moved quickly through, quickly darting his head from side to side, half expecting another welcoming party, but all the pitchforks, knives, and axes were still lying about the ground, indicating that the villagers here hadn't returned from whatever spiritual guidance—if one could call it that—they were receiving.

_Luis mentioned a hidden passage somewhere here—he didn't recall where it was, he said, but I'll bet it's in that building where everyone went to._

With nowhere else to go, he pressed forward, stopping at the black metal door. On it was a strange-looking symbol made of a red stone, set into the door—a long, vertical line, with four branches coming off it, two on each side. Each branch was slightly bent—at first glance, one may have compared it to an insect's legs, with the vertical line representing the body. Pushing the door open, he had come into another empty room, although not as badly unkempt as most of the houses in the village had seemed. While still dusty and dingy, and needed a lot of work, still manageable—this probably wasn't much of a meeting place anyway. Dirty footprints on the floor gave him the impression that this was a heavy traffic area. They seemed to lead straight ahead, through a doorway and to the right. As he moved forward, the only source of light in this small area was an oil lamp hanging from the ceiling.

_Bingo._

There in the floor was a trap door, solidly closed, but a handle on top. Opening the trap door, he went down a ladder leading to a dimly lit underground passage, lit only by a series of lit oil lanterns hanging from the stone ceiling. It was quite damp, the rough stone walls slick with some algae. It smelled like an aged aquarium—ventilation wasn't a priority down here. The walls were narrow, wide enough to fit maybe a couple of people side by side at most—he wouldn't want to have been caught down there with an entire village bent on killing him.

The path opened up some ways ahead into a clearing—in the center was a fairly large puddle of water, being fed by a few leaks in the stone ceiling, providing some ambient noise to break the silence. After the puddle, the path narrowed again, and Leon could make out a ladder at the end of the path. When he arrived, he climbed upwards, knowing he was nearing the surface by the colder outside air. He found himself on a path covered in woods, the thick canopy filtering out what daylight there was. He figured it was getting close to dusk now, and could feel his stomach begin to growl. Before progressing any further, he reached into a pocket on his uniform pants and pulled out an energy bar. He was only given a few of them—apparently, the U.S. Government felt that this wasn't going to take too long, so he had to ration them accordingly.

_Government army surplus, these things…_

Tossing the wrapper aside, and with at least something in his system, he walked up the path, still under cover of woods, but noted a clearing just ahead. When he arrived, he breathed a sigh of relief. At the top of the hill was the church, most likely the very same one Ashley was being held in—unless there was another one and he didn't know it. From the church and coming down the hill was a run-down cemetery, various tombstones dotting the hillside in no random pattern, almost as if they just buried their dead anywhere. On the top of the church, Leon expected to see a cross or other figure—instead, it was a replica of the same strange symbol he had seen on the door of the building which was at the beginning of the underground walkway. At the top of the hill, the land was surrounded with vertical metal rod fencing, leaving only the opening for the path.

_Must be the church of the Los Illuminados…I'm coming, Ashley. Just hold on a little longer._

The path looped around the cemetery as it went up the hill, and so he began his ascent.

_Just a few more hundred feet, get in, grab the subject, call the evac chopper, and get the hell home._

Passing a shack along the way, he noticed that some of the tombstones had carved into them the same figure, and some didn't. Perhaps those that didn't weren't members of the cult, and possibly murdered as a result—they didn't discriminate here. A light drizzle was still falling as he kept walking up the dirt path. Halfway up the hill, he suddenly saw a knife fly over his head, hitting the path below.

"_¡Agárrenlo!_"

At the top of the hill stood one of the villagers, pointing and screaming. At the alert, Leon noticed a small number of them coming out from hiding, crouching down behind taller headstones so as to not be seen. Now, they were all out, probably a total of ten all together, males and females, most of them armed and charging at Leon.

_I should've known…this would've been too easy. Regardless, best to get to the top of the hill first…_

Taking out his handgun, he raced up the hill, aiming and opening fire at the male near the top. Suddenly gunfire filled the air as the pistol action echoed all over, and he had shot four rounds into him, the bullets finding their mark in the upper torso and neck, causing blood to spray from the hot round onto the ground. Gagging, he fell to his knees, and before he could do anything else, Leon delivered a swift kick to the man's face, the force of it hard enough to decapitate the villager. Blood gushed out of his neck as his body collapsed against the ground. Before he had a chance to reload his handgun, the remaining attack brigade ran up the hill in group formation, hoping to overpower him by sheer numbers alone.

A crazed female was at the head of the group, screaming and charging, a rusty knife held high. Reloading would take too long—holstering the handgun, he grabbed the shotgun, loaded with five shells, aimed and fired, the powerful recoil hitting him in the shoulder. He fired again, knocking the group backwards a few steps, knocking a few over, but ripping a massive gouge in the woman's torso, her blue shirt and dark apron spattered in copious amounts of blood. She collapsed at Leon's feet, gasping.

He stepped a couple of feet back as the rest of the group collected itself, but Leon offered them no chance to charge again, firing off the remaining three shells in quick succession, watching each hot slug rip into their ghostly pale skin, watching as bits of skull, skin, and muscle tore off in chunks, littering the path with ripped bodies. With only a couple left, and his shotgun spent for the moment, he had enough time to take out his handgun and reload. He emptied the warm clip, quickly grabbed another one, and slammed it home. Before he could fire a round, the closest one lunged at Leon, letting out a raspy growl before closing its hands around his neck and tightening. His red eyes leered crazily, hungrily, his mouth wide open in an attempt to bite Leon.

Leon grabbed the male's arms, prying them apart from their cold, icy grip, and then firmly planted a kick into him, knocking the wind out of him as he staggered into the lunatic behind him. Wasting no time, he rapidly fired several rounds into the choker's head, perforating his face before the head exploded violently, sending a fresh cascade of bone, brain, blood and eyes everywhere. The last one charged at Leon again, despite the fact that his face and vest were covered in body parts.

_Just like lemmings…_

Sighing, he simply dodged out of the way, spun around as the madman ran past him. Three more shots rang out as the agent fired into its back, and with that, he collapsed to the ground, his hand reaching up toward the church as if he was about to visit God himself.

"Lord…Saddler…" he said in English before collapsing, dead. Letting out a deep sigh, he raised a hand and wiped his brow, now covered in sweat and rain. He pulled back his hand, noticing a small amount of blood from when he blew off one of their heads—some of it had splattered onto Leon. With the area quiet once more, his pounding heart starting to return to a semblance of normal rhythm, he took out three shells and loaded them into the shotgun.

_Better use these wisely…only have a few left. _

Taking a few moments to check his surroundings, there was nothing else to really see—the church was the main attraction here, except for a walkway consisting of wood planks, which seemed to venture out along a stone cliff. There were two doors leading into the church—a small side entrance, and then the main entrance, tall wooden double doors. He walked up a couple of steps, pushed on the door with one hand, gun raised in the other—

--nothing. The door didn't move. There were no handles to pull on either door. He tried again.

No luck.

_Damn it…_

He tried kicking the doors, and still, they wouldn't yield.

_Damn!_

He did notice a large, recessed indentation in the door, which most likely meant that the object needed here, was the key.

_It's the R.P.D. all over again…SHIT!_

Angry and frustrated, compounded with the knowledge that he _knew _Ashley was in there, made him swear out loud, and he kicked the door again, which, once again, yielded nothing. He'd have to find this mysterious object, or at least something that, with enough force, could break down the door. Shooting the doors had come to mind, however, he had limited ammunition, and if the doors were reinforced with a harder material, then he'd have wasted his remaining ammo. Out of options, he decided to see if Hunnigan had anything—he took out his radio and called.

As she appeared on the screen, the first thing she noticed was a fairly annoyed looking Leon, and before she could say a word, Leon began.

"Hunnigan, it's Leon. The church door's locked. I can't get in."

She couldn't help but smile deviously, although she tried very hard to hide it. It didn't do much success. "Didn't they teach you how to pick locks at the Academy?"

"There's some sort of indentation on the door like something can fit inside—whatever the object is, it's probably the key."

Hunnigan drew a blank look. "I'm sorry, Leon, don't know what to tell you—all I can tell you is to try to break the door down or find something that can do it."

He sighed, realizing, in part, that this was going to be similar to the slow, agonizing process he experienced back in Raccoon City—sometimes, he still wondered how he managed to survive after taking so long to find various objects to get through very crucial escape doors. Sometimes, simple brute force did the trick. However, it wasn't going to work here, at least, not with what Leon currently had now.

_If I had a grenade or some of that dynamite that some of those people chucked at me, I'd have no problem…I can't go back, so the only way to go is forward. God damn it…_

_------------ _

_Damn, it's cold…and dark…what are they gonna do to me?_

She sat in a corner of her cell, huddled, head resting on her legs, miserable. Everything around her was bland and gray, and she just sat there, shivering. She had been wearing the same clothes for at least two days—she had no idea how much time had passed from the time she was kidnapped to now, but what she was wearing now was not conducive to cold temperatures—far from it. She was wearing a sleeveless brown turtleneck shirt made of some thick fabric, and a dark brown sweater, with the sleeves wrapped around her neck. Wrapped around her shirt was a thick brown belt. She wore a dark green plaid miniskirt, and the outfit was completed by long brown boots which came up to her knees. Needless to say, she was quite cold—even if the sweater was on, the cold cut through it like a knife.

She rubbed a sore spot on her neck, a spot which had been sore for a while now—they had injected her with something, and she found herself drifting slowly into panic as time passed.

_What was that thing they injected inside me—I saw that needle…there was something small, white, and MOVING! Some sort of parasite?_ _What the hell do they want from me, anyway? Is this what happens when you're the daughter of the President of the United States? You become a target for madmen and people who want to harm you, your family, or your government? God, he was an asshole, too…used to work for the U.S. Government too…a traitor to his country! What did I do to deserve this? To be kidnapped from my college in Massachusetts, then flown to a whole other continent, injected with something…Dad? I need your help…surely you know by now that I'm not home…is someone coming for me?_

Tired, cold, and hungry, she was starting to feel a sense of hopelessness. The men who had been speaking with her were scary, frightening—she didn't want anything to do with them. She didn't know what these men were after, but they kept talking to her of a great power, a power that she wouldn't be able to resist. According to them, this new power would lead to a glorious new world, and she was one of the most important pieces of the whole thing. She refused to speak a word to them, trying to be stubborn, tough, and brave like her father, but really, she was scared to hell. Something was crawling around inside her, and that was bad enough. This whole thing seemed to be the crazed ramblings of a religious cult leader. Still, she couldn't help but feel the least bit curious about his words, the words spoken by the man with the dark head covering and religious robes, about this new power. Regardless, she wanted out. NOW. She had already been moved from a few other holding cells already today. Who knew how long she was going to stay in this church?

A strange sound alerted her attention elsewhere, and she picked her head up, listening for the new sound again—it was muffled, probably coming from outside. She heard it again, this time a little closer. It sounded like small explosions.

_Gunshots?_

Three more followed in quick succession, and then silence. A flicker of hope began to kindle inside the young girl. She quickly stood up, brushed her blonde hair out of her face and ran to the cold bars which confined her.

_Who could be out there? With all those crazy people?_

Several more gunshots were heard over the next couple of minutes, followed by silence.

_I wonder what happened…_

Had the space in between the bars been wider, she would've been able to stick her head through them to at least get a better idea of the sound. Regardless, she heard no more of the gunshots. Seconds later, she heard a loud noise, definitely coming from the church entrance. From her holding cell on the second floor, she could definitely hear that new sound, a loud banging on the door, perhaps someone trying to kick it open or break it down.

_Someone's trying to get in…!_

Panic began to creep inside the young girl—whoever was banging on the door really wanted to get inside. Maybe it was an unsuspecting villager who hadn't fallen under the strange grip of this crazy institution. Or perhaps…maybe, just maybe, her father had come through, and this was the man to come save her and get her home. Dread had once again given way to hope, and before she knew it, she found herself screaming for help, hoping to get her possible savior's attention.

"_Help!_" she screamed at the top of her lungs, praying that the sound would carry through the stone, concrete, and wood. She heard another bang. She let out another cry for help, hoping that he'd manage to break the door. Straining, she listened for another bang. Ten seconds passed. Another ten went by. Nothing. Hope began to fade. Refusing to give into despair, she screamed again. Her voice echoed through the cavernous church, but still yielded nothing. A full two minutes had passed, and all she could hear was the dismal sounds of silence.

_No! Don't go!!! _

Her hope faded, gave way to sadness and despair. Whoever it was couldn't get in—the door was locked, and she knew it. She turned around slowly, the combination of utter frustration, anger, and sadness all coming in a tumultuous wave of emotion. Lonely and depressed, she sat down in the far corner of her cell, tears beginning to well up in her eyes.

_Come back…_

The young girl couldn't hold it in anymore—her tough veneer, her firm façade was now shattered, and she began to sob. She didn't care how loud she was or if any of those freaks heard her or not. Tears poured down the sides of her face as she heaved loud, racking sobs.

_Dad…I just wanna go home…take me away from here…_

----------

END OF CHAPTER FOUR. We all know what's about to happen next, if you've played the game already. Keep the reviews coming!


	6. Chapter Five: The Giant Aberration

**Chapter Five: The Giant Aberration**

He was taking the long way around, to be sure, but he needed to avoid detection, otherwise he was certain that he was as good as dead, should he be caught. He was taking a break inside of a shack on the other side of the massive lake, thinking about his next move, thinking about how he got into this mess, remembering, reminiscing. Luis had been caught in a game of run-around ever since he swiped the Plaga sample, stole it right out of the church, and with it, medication—medication that he created during his time working for Saddler. He had been hired by Osmond Saddler to do research on the Plaga parasites, something that greatly appealed to the young scientist's curiosity. After all, it was a parasite, and at the time, Saddler offered him something he couldn't refuse—wealth. Before he got to know the man well, he had been given some background information that people in his rural hometown were falling ill—infected by a parasite that was thought to be long lost, buried deep beneath the earth, its presence forgotten. Effects of infection included very pale, unnaturally whiter complexion, violent spasms, coughing up blood, hallucinations and passing out—the tell-tale signs that a parasite was taking over its host body, maturing, growing, possibly reproducing.

As he began working for Saddler, he was given limitless funding to conduct research on these parasites, and he found himself spending countless hours studying their behaviors, mutagenic properties, how they lived, what happened to the host when they matured—the data was endless, it seemed. One big discovery was that the Plaga parasites reacted violently to light. Because of this, Luis had to conduct his experiments in dark settings. Before too long, more and more people were starting to show signs of infection—until one night, as he was out walking throughout the village, he had witnessed a scene that he'd very much would've like to have never seen.

Two of the male villagers were embroiled in a livid argument—obscenities flying, both men gesturing wildly and angrily over something pointless—which seemed to be another side effect; people quick to lose their temper. Maybe it was due to the religious atmosphere—those who were part of the Los Illuminados, and those who were not often clashed. Regardless, he had stood some distance away, just watching the scene. Suddenly, one of them picked up a nearby axe and swiped the other's head clean off. Luis had been ready to step in, but what he saw next had fascinated him—the decapitated man just stood there for a few seconds, not moving, when suddenly, several tentacles had sprouted out of his neck—long, thin, slimy tendrils waving wildly about. One of them grew out longer than the others, and at the end of it, something reflective and shiny sliced through the air. The other man was in a state of shock, and before he knew it, the longest tendril sliced through him, returning the favor by slicing the first man's head off.

_A blade?! There's a blade at the end of that thing?!_

Shocked, curious, and amazed all at the same time, Luis hurried back to his lab to record his findings. However, the scene hadn't sat well with him, so he reported it to Saddler, who expressed surprise and gratitude about the new findings, glancing over the murder aspects of that night. Shortly thereafter, Saddler began to work with Luis on several genetic experiments regarding the Plaga parasites, using Luis' theories that one, the Plagas lived in social harmony; and two, that they had a collective intelligence. They ended up creating a genetic variation called a "queen Plaga," which, Luis noticed during experiments, seemed to call the lesser Plagas to order. Luis had postulated that their method of "communication" was via a frequency that only they could hear. He had begun to realize that something smelled fishy about this whole thing, but as the money kept coming, he was willing to do whatever he was asked.

_God, I was a fool…_

Through the still air, Luis heard the sounds of a motorboat off in the distance, and he stepped out the shack to take a look. It was too far to see anything—all he could make out was a couple of _ganados, _perhaps taking a leisurely stroll around the lake. What else could they be there for?

Some seconds later, the motorboat had cut out, and the two of them just stood there, unmoving. The former scientist chuckled, turned around, and began to walk up the path toward the waterfall.

_Motor probably died…stranded now, boys._

_----------- _

From the other end of the lake, Leon was watching the same scene, although he had a much better vantage point than Luis, unbeknownst to him. Using his binoculars, he zoomed in on the males in the boat, noticing something else in there with them.

_What's that?_

They cut the motor, and he could see the two of them lifting the bulky object, then chucking it overboard. Quickly, Leon realized that it wasn't cargo—it was a dead body. He zoomed in closer with his binoculars, and realized that it was the body of the second police officer that had accompanied him here several hours ago, the word POLICIA written on the back.

_Shit…_

Out on the lake, he heard one of the men say "vamos," which Leon understood to mean "let's go." The motorboat had hummed to life, and quickly, they sped away, back toward the other side of the lake. As the boat moved out of view, he fixed his sight back on the floating police officer, when he heard a small rumbling noise, seeming to come from the lake. Around the body, the water began to ripple, moving, agitating around him—when suddenly a massive creature, easily the size of a whale _leaped _out of the water, its mouth open wide, revealing rows and rows of sharp whitish teeth. It was something that couldn't have possibly existed in nature—something that humongous and moving so fast

_WHAT THE FUCK--_

It grabbed the officer in its jaws as it dove out of the water, then just as quickly plunged back under, splashing loudly as its tremendous bulk slapped the surface and disappeared just as fast—the whole thing took no more than three seconds, at most—and even that was stretching it.

Leon jumped back in freakish surprise, his eyes wild with shock, awe, and abject horror at what he just saw, and knowing full well that he was going to have to get across that lake if he had any shot at getting inside the church—at least, finding something that could knock the door down. Or perhaps it was attracted to blood and dead things—the two guys in the motorboat were still on the lake when that thing rose up. Either way, it was getting darker. He needed to get across. Coming back down off his viewpoint, he went back down a hill which led him to the dock. By the dock was not only a wooden boat with motor attached, but a small shack as well. Glancing inside the boat, he discovered that the boat came equipped with roughly ten or so harpoons strapped to the sides of the boat. Obviously, these weren't used for fishing. At the end was a small tether, a metal O ring with a rope around it, most likely used for the anchor, also inside the boat.

_Who or what could've spawned that creature, I wonder…_

He looked inside the shack and found it empty. With no other options, he climbed into the small craft. Pulling out a dagger from its sheath on Leon's belt, he cut the rope that connected the boat to the dock, and pulled the cord. The motor roared to life, to his slight surprise.

_At least it works…_

The lake was empty, as calm and as serene as any normal lake, but as he veered the boat toward the dock on the other side, he couldn't help but feel a pit of dread welling up inside him. After that nightmare in Raccoon City, he would not be surprised if that _thing_ decided to rear its ugly face—after all, with his luck, it would.

More than halfway across now, he could see clearly the other side—the dock, and another small building just off said dock. Another minute or so, he'd be there.

_Maybe this will be uneventful after all…_

The waters surrounding were starting to become a little choppy, and the motor began to fight Leon's steering hand. At the speed he was going, he could feel the boat bobbing up and down with the increase in turbulence. Looking around, he could see the water rippling, but nothing too ordinary. He was nearly there anyway, less than a minute from where he currently was. He turned the boat a bit more to the right, feeling slightly more optimistic.

Suddenly, no more than fifty feet away, the gigantic monster rose out of the water, emitting a loud, monstrous feral roar that rocked the surrounding area, forcing Leon to cover his ears it jaws wide open as the creature lifted his entire body out of the water. Tentacles were flailing wildly out of the monster's mouth, massive slimy gray tendrils.

_SHIIIIIIIIT!_

For the first time in the mission, Leon's heart leapt up to his throat—not out of surprise, but out of primal, uninhibited fear, and for a brief second, he stood paralyzed, his brain unable to comprehend the horrendous aberration of nature that appeared before him. Easily a hundred feet long and resembling a giant salamander, its enormous brown and gray slick body slammed into the water once more, sending out a massive wave on all sides. The impact caused such a massive vortex, such a tear in the water's surface tension, that the boat began to get pulled in before the lake came up again, creating a massive wave that would hit Leon in seconds.

_Not gonna be able to steer out of the way!_

Bracing for impact, he gripped the sides of the boat, hoping for dear life that he wouldn't get knocked out. Given its speed, he didn't want to be bait. The wave slammed into the boat with tremendous force, knocking both him and the boat straight up out of the water. He screamed, not caring who was around. He was terrified. The motor roared a high pitch whine as he found himself airborne. The small boat slammed back down into the water, buckling Leon backwards, knocking his body into the rear wooden plank for a seat. The impact knocked the anchor out of the boat and began to sink, taking its long length of rope with it.

_I need to get the fuck off this lake!_

The motor stalled.

"Damn it!" he yelled, and he quickly began to get the motor back to work, not knowing that the anchor was descending, and that the monster was turning around to make another pass. As the lake monster swam under the tiny craft, the three-hooked anchor grazed the top of its body, and then hooked itself into its thick, slimy flesh. As Leon pulled the cord again, hoping that the motor would kick on, screaming and cursing at the hunk of junk. He heard the sounds of whizzing and rapidly uncurling rope behind him, and before he could turn around, a large knot in the rope jammed in the O-ring, and suddenly, the boat jerked violently backwards, spinning and nearly making the terrified agent lose his balance. Quickly, he realized that the anchor had someway hooked the massive behemoth, and he was getting pulled with incredible speed around the lake.

_You're gonna play rough, asshole…I see what you're doing._

The top of its oily body was exposed to the air while the powerful bulk of the monster swam furiously, taking Leon for a ride wherever it happened to swim. There was only one thing to do—attempt to kill it. The length of rope stretched out about fifty or so feet from the boat, which meant that the boat was going to fall to whatever force hit it. However, if the creature took a sharp turn, it would take a second or two for the rope, and subsequently, the boat, to follow suit. Unfastening one of the clasps, five spears fell to the boat floor. The creature was swimming straight at the moment and Leon quickly hurled the heavy spear at the monster's exposed top. The metallic barbed spearhead penetrated deep into its back, a deep wound that sent a spray of dark red blood into the air, staining the water. Wasting no time, he picked up a second spear and threw it, slicing through the air and again, finding its mark in its body, penetrating deeper than the first.

_Good, GOOD!_

The creature, realizing pain, quickly dove underwater as Leon readied a third lance-like spear. He could see it turning around, its massive bulk moving with unnatural speed. The two wounds caused a torrential stream of blood to pour from its back, trailing behind the monster as it swam under. The knot of rope suddenly tore through the O-ring, the stress and force finally too great. Rope began whizzing again, and some length had dragged out before a larger knot stopped it for the moment, firmly lodged. The boat turned around in the direction it was swimming, and he realized that he was being pulled out into the middle of the lake, far away from all land, further and further away from his original destination. Some seconds later, the boat stopped moving, and an uneasy calm spread through Leon. Still with the spear in hand, he quickly looked from side to side, but had seen nothing. Even though the threat was there, he knew he had to cut the rope and speed toward the dock. Before he could take his dagger out again, he heard a loud roar some distance away.

Turning in the direction of the sound, the towering bulk roared out of the water and swam full speed toward the boat, its gigantic jaws wide open, capable of taking both Leon and the boat in one gulp.

_Hello, beastie…_

Arming himself once more, he was hoping to land at least one of these in the monster's mouth. He could see the thick tentacles waving frantically inside its mouth as it swam closer, roaring. Leon's heart was pounding harder and harder, his own heartbeat attempting to drown out the creature's loud approach. It would be on him in less than ten seconds.

_If I miss, I'm done…_

Yelling, he hurled the weapon, saw it gliding through the air, then slice through one flailing tendril with a loud, sick wet sloppy noise into the roof of its pink mouth, causing a massive amount of blood loss instantly. It let out a piercing shriek as it turned sharply to its left just before it nearly collided into the boat. However, the sudden displacement of water by its abrupt movement slammed into the side of the boat, sending a massive wave of water to rock the boat sharply, knocking Leon and one harpoon several feet out of the boat, slamming the agent hard into the cold, blood-stained water. Coming up quickly, he could see the creature coming out of the water behind him giving chase. Using every ounce of strength he had, Leon swam furiously toward the boat, pumping as hard as he could. He managed to safely climb back in as the monster dove underwater again. Adrenaline flowing through him, he ignored the fact that he was drenched and armed himself with another spear as the boat was pulled again toward the direction of Leon's original destination. Its bleeding body rose up out of the water again, and he wasted no time in throwing it, finding its mark again as it dug into the bloody flesh. Unclasping the second set of five spears, he managed to get one more inside before it dove under again. With four spears left, he was wondering if was going to be enough.

_Doesn't this thing ever die? At this rate, I'm fucked…_

_----------- _

Mendez was watching the scene from the shore in a hidden area that couldn't be spotted from the lake. Next to him were the two _ganados _who had disposed of that puny officer just a few minutes ago. Both of them had triumphant grins on their faces, pointing and laughing at the silly American who was trying to kill Del Lago. Mendez himself couldn't help but feel relieved that the American was doomed to fail—nothing could kill Del Lago—the stupid fool was way overmatched, and would simply do what it always do: wait until the American grew tired, then go in for the kill. The U.S. Government had failed, and with one pest gone, there'd be no one left to save the girl.

_Now we can rejoice, my brethren…it won't be too long now until we see Lord Saddler's perfect vision becomes reality. The world will soon be cleansed, with no one to stop us…_

Having seen enough and content with the fact that the stupid American was doomed to die a most horrible, painful, and gruesome death, he summoned the two men to come with him and see Lord Saddler for their just rewards.

---------

He swore angrily at himself after seeing the spear go wide, missing the giant as it went underwater, possibly aiming for another attack. Soaked and chilled to the bone, Leon was starting to grow weary of this—his body was aching, begging for a break. He couldn't give in—if he did, he would find himself digested inside the mammoth aberration. The creature also seemed to be growing tired—or so Leon hoped. It had lost a lot of blood from all the spears it took, including a couple right in its mouth. However, he was down to his last one. If it didn't work, he had one option still left, albeit an extremely risky one with little chance of success: cut the rope, pray that the motor still worked and beeline it to shore and hope to whatever deity Leon worshipped that the monster wouldn't get him.

He was armed, the spear raised high in the air, Leon ready to throw it as soon as the ugly fucker came to the surface. For the moment, the water was still.

_Come out, you fucker…_

The rope was pulled straight out, the large knot still managing to hold up despite the massive amount of stress and weight it was carrying. Leon watched the rope to see if it went slack or moved. Thirty seconds has passed and still nothing. Had it had enough for the moment?

Sure enough, dead ahead, the creature rose out of the water, its bloodied mouth wide open, the sharp teeth stained with its own blood as it propelled its enormous bulk toward Leon with frightening speed.

He aimed, lining himself up, waiting for the perfect time to ram the final spear down the creature's gob. The creature was cutting cleanly through the water as if it was nothing, quickly getting nervously closer to Leon. He could see the thick slick gray tentacles flailing wildly at him, as if to reach out in an attempt to grab him. A few more seconds more, it'd be on him.

His heart pounding, he looked straight down the monster's throat, aimed, and hurled it with as much strength as he could at it, screaming. It sliced through the air, flying effortlessly across the distance. It landed exactly where Leon intended, cutting into its huge mouth, through the tendrils and into its throat, spraying a torrent of blood everywhere. He could hear the creature choking, gagging and gasping, letting out a feral roar as it lifted its huge, towering form out of the water, sputtering, blood flying everywhere. It was raining red all around as the dark liquid mixed with the rain falling, staining the water.

Leon stood there in dumbfounded amazement before feeling a tremendous wave of victory as if he had just won the biggest lottery, then he let out a scream of triumph, sounding nearly hysterical as the monster began to plummet back down into the dark lake, falling deeper and deeper into the endless black.

_Got ya, you son of a bitch!_

He sat down in the middle of the boat, not caring that he was sitting in several inches of water—he was already soaked to begin with. Suddenly, the boat begin to carom violently forward, literally raising itself out of the water as he failed to realize that the rope was still attached to the anchor, and subsequently, the monster that was falling many feet below. Leon's sense of victory quickly gave way to panic as the rear of the tiny boar went higher and higher, and he gripped the sides of the boat, ready to leap. The weight was too much to bear, and suddenly the wooden tether snapped clean off the boat, causing the rest of the small craft to crash back down into the water, the impact causing him to lose his grip and slam onto the floor of the boat. Rope was whizzing out of the boat as the dying monster sank deeper into the depths, and as Leon began to sit up, he realized with sudden horror that somehow the length of coiled rope had wrapped around his leg, and it was just about to reach the end of it.

_Oh, shit._

Before he had a chance to wriggle his leg free, he suddenly felt an immense tightening vice grip as the massive weight of the monster now was tugging at his leg, sending a huge wave of pain up his body. Quickly drawing his blade, he swiped at the rope fibers, feeling the grip growing tighter and tighter. He could hear the bones beginning to pop, the joints and muscles being stretched to their absolute limit as he braced his body against the boat. Either his leg was going to be ripped off or his whole body was going to go overboard. Slashing furiously, the pain was becoming too much to bear as he could hear the sounds of fabric starting to stretch and tear. The blade was slicing cleanly through the fibers, and finally, the rope snapped and Leon fell back onto the bottom of the boat, gasping, his heart feeling as if it was going to burst. Panting, gasping for air, his watery eyes just looked up at the gray sky, the endless gray.

_Ashley, you BETTER be grateful…_

He had sat there for a minute, catching his breath, his boat just sitting out in the middle of the lake, wading. Remembering what he had to do, his aching body sat back up, and Leon yanked the cord, and a brief puff of black smoke came out of the decrepit motor as it roared to life. Looking around, reorienting himself, he found his destination and began to speed quickly toward the dock.

As he neared his arrival, he began to slow the craft down, when a cramp shot searing pain all throughout his upper body, followed by another in his chest, as if something was inside him ready to burst. Cutting the motor, he found the energy to stand up onto the dock and doubled over, gasping for air as a breath-taking shot of agony tore through his entire body, as if a knife was being driven into his chest.

_What's going on?!_

The shack by the dock came into view, and quickly he realized that he needed to sit down and rest, the pain growing stronger by the second, driving him insane.

_The shack…must…get to the shack! _

A violent wave of coughing followed, and suddenly, he found himself gagging, choking on thick liquid. He brought his black-gloved hand to his mouth, felt the warm substance fly out of his mouth—

_--blood…! Coughing up blood! What's happening to me?!_

As he stared at his bloody hand, his vision began to blur, and he found himself hallucinating as he stumbled blindly toward the wooden building, the ground swaying and moving as if he was heavily intoxicated. Suddenly short of breath, he gasped, clutching his chest as another sharp pain cut through him like a blade. He tried to scream, but nothing was coming out except ragged breath. His mind was screaming, his head and torso throbbing as his heartbeat was getting faster and faster as he was falling deeper and deeper into deliriousness.

He kicked the door to the shack down, and he staggered inside, trying desperately to breathe, trying desperately to do anything, but blackness began to fall, and suddenly his vision was getting dark, and he felt as if a massive weight was just heaved on top of him.

_No…God…help…_

His legs gave out as his eyes rolled up into the back of his head, the sudden stress finally too much. His knees hit the floor, and he let out another strained gasp as his body was falling to the cold ground.

_Hunnigan…Ashley…_

He couldn't feel the pain anymore as he sank into unconsciousness, coming to rest on the floor.

Leon was out like a light.

---------

END OF CHAPTER FIVE. So far, so good! Read and review, and the next chapter should be up soon.


	7. Chapter Six: Faith and Money

**Chapter Six: Faith and Money**

Sprawled and lying motionless on the floor, Leon began to stir from his unexpected slumber, and realizing that every muscle in his body ached from the fracas with the lake creature. Reluctantly, he sat up, very much disoriented and dazed, and horribly fatigued.

_Ohhh…where am I? What time is it? What the hell happened?_

As he looked around the shack, he realized that his eyesight was still blurred, and he wasn't awake yet. Rubbing the back of his head, he opened his mouth wide in a yawn and stretched as if he'd just woken up from deep sleep.

A violent spasm in his chest jolted him out of his stretch, immediately tightening up his airways, and suddenly he was gagging, coughing and gasping for air all over again as a tightening pain gripped his entire body.

_NO! NOT AGAIN! Please, God, not again…!_

His teeth gritted, he managed to get to his feet, withstanding the pain as it tore through his muscular body. His skin felt as if it was crawling as the blood pounded through his veins, his heartbeat drumming fast, the sound seeming to amplify about a thousand times so that it became a deafening roar as he writhed and twisted his body. Suddenly, to his complete and total horror, he looked down at his exposed arms and saw the veins and arteries bulging out of them, crawling down the length of them as red and black streaked across his body like a road map.

_What's this?!_

Filled with flowing liquid and looking ready to burst, he could feel the bursting vessels creeping all over his body, over his face as he began to transform into something horrible, something completely non-human. He screamed as the unknown presence covered him, enveloped him, claiming his body, a loud, terrified scream of agony—

--and he woke up startled, gasping, immediately sitting up and looking at his arms, relieved to see that nothing was bulging out, he wasn't experiencing horrible spasms. He sat on the floor, his eyes staring into darkness.

_Oh, thank god…I'm ok. I'll be alright…just need a minute…_

He rose to his feet, his tired and aching body protesting the action. His stomach growled—he hadn't eaten in a long time, he remembered.

_Just how long was I out for?_

A steady rain was falling outside, he noticed. Nighttime indeed had fallen while Leon was out. A crack of lightning cut through the black sky, briefly illuminating the small house before it was followed by a loud clap of thunder booming across the land. He patted himself down, making sure he still had everything. Twice now he was rendered unconscious, and the last time he was, he lost his jacket somewhere in transition. The leather straps that slung across his torso and upper back were still there, along with the handgun that was holstered, and his knife, still sheathed, clasped to the strap. All of his extra ammunition pouches were still on his belt, and he found himself relieved that his remaining ammunition was there.

He also noticed, much to his delight, that he was dry. His tactical-style uniform was made of special fabrics that allowed for quick drying—the material was built to stand the elements. Meant for law enforcement, they were designed to take abuse. The pants contained many pockets, some of them well hidden to the naked eye. He reached into one such pocket and pulled out a miniature flashlight. He turned it on and attached it to the leather strap. He found himself inside a small house rather than a shack like he originally anticipated. He had collapsed next to a table with two chairs. Along the far wall was a wood-burning stove in fairly decent condition. Some assorted cabinetry and shelving lined the walls, although they were falling into disrepair. A twin bed stood opposite Leon, the white sheets stained with dirt and possibly blood. On the table, he noticed, was a sheet of paper. Next to the paper was a box of handgun bullets and two blue flashbang grenades—Leon recognized them immediately from his training at the Academy. Flashbangs were grenades that--rather than a normal grenade which explodes and sends shrapnel everywhere, these grenades, upon explosion, released a very bright white light which blinds the person for five or so seconds, because the eye can't take such a bright light. He took the grenades and clipped them to his belt, and noticed that whoever wrote it seemed to be in a hurry, as if he or she was being pressed for time or possibly pursued. Regardless, it was legible, and so he read:

_There's an important item hidden in the falls. If you are able to get it, you might be able to get the President's daughter out of the church. However, the path back to the church isn't a walk in the park by any means. By the time you read this, it will be dark—that is when the Plagas come out: nasty creatures that burst out from their human hosts. I've discovered that they are extremely sensitive to light once they're exposed, and may come in handy. I also left you some handgun ammo—I swiped them from somewhere. You may find the extra ammunition useful. About what's been going on in your body… _

_If I could help you, I would. _

_But unfortunately it's beyond my power. _

He put the note down, his mind thinking.

_So they DID inject me with something…fucking assholes! God damn it…and those spasms, and coughing up blood…that's probably related too. Who was here? Luis? Was he here when I was passed out? God, none of this makes sense…I better move on...the quicker we get out of here, the better. I'm gonna have a long chat with the leader of this crazy cult._

His radio beeped loudly, most likely Hunnigan trying to get a hold of him, probably worried sick. Removing the radio from the holster, he flipped it open and sure enough, it was her, clearly annoyed.

"Leon!" she exclaimed, a note of relief in her voice. "It's been six hours since our last transmission—I was starting to get worried."

_Damn, I was out that long?_

"Don't you mean lonely?" Leon replied, attempting a joke. She hardly looked in the mood for humor. "Anyway, I started to feel dizzy, then I guess I must have lost consciousness."

Her facial expression changed to one of slight worry. "Lost consciousness? Maybe it has some connection to what the village chief was talking about…" her voice trailed off in thought.

"Can't say for certain," Leon added. "But I'm okay now. I'm going to continue the mission. Leon out."

He put the radio back in its case, then proceeded to check and make sure his firearms were loaded and ready. He took the box of ammunition, opening it to find three more clips.

_Thank you, whoever you are. I certainly needed it._

He put the clips into his ammo pouch, and in doing so, his stomach growled, a low audible rumble. It had been six hours, so his body was in need of something. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out another energy bar and wolfed it down quickly. With that out of the way, he began to plan his next course of action. Most likely there was a path to the falls, as implied by whoever had written that letter. With nothing else left to do, he opened the door and was greeted by a pouring rain and a very dark, overcast sky. The ground was saturated with water and turned the path muddy in spots. To his left, a series of lit torches illuminated the way, set by the villagers or by something else. Perhaps the person who wrote Leon that letter knew about these and lit them. They cast a warm orange light with their flames, and he began to walk up the path as heavy, cold drops of water pelted him.

The path ventured deeper into woods, and through a gate. When he walked through the gateway, he was surrounded in darkness, no more lit torches to guide the way. With his bright flashlight, he found himself along a narrow pathway. Further up, he could hear the sounds of rushing water ahead in the distance, probably a few hundred yards from his current position. Breaking out into a jog, he walked up a small incline, then stopped suddenly when he noticed a lone male, probably another villager, standing about a hundred feet away from him. Unfortunately, the male had noticed him and began to walk slowly toward the agent—a slow, deliberate stagger as if he was drunk. The walkway was too narrow to get around him—he'd have to engage the man and take him out.

Leon took out his handgun and aimed for the male's head. However, he noticed in the dark surroundings that the man's eyes were a fiery red, very bright and unusual, as if the pupils contained a small red light inside.

_Huh?_

As it got closer, Leon noticed that the man's body began to move and spasm in odd directions, the arms flailing, the head quickly darting about like someone who had taken heavy amounts of drugs. Didn't he see that a gun was aiming directly at his head?

Leon squeezed his finger on the trigger, about to pull it back when he heard a tearing, ripping sound, something sick and sloppy. Suddenly, Leon stared in confusion as the man's head _exploded—_raining bits of skin, bone and brain chunks all around.

He kept advancing toward the confused agent, and no more than a second went by when Leon saw them—tentacles sprouting, shooting out of the man's bleeding neck, flailing wildly in all directions.

_What the fuck?!_

He was too shocked and amazed by this sudden horror unfolding before his eyes, but kept his gun firmly aimed at what was just the head a few seconds ago. The former space occupied by the man's head continued to transform in front of him, when something large sprouted forth from the middle of flailing tentacles—a blobby mess of veins, skin and blood. It opened one sick, watery yellow eye, its gaze fixed upon Leon. Leon opened fire, two shots that rang out in the night air, slicing into the bulbous head—and did nothing. The creature stopped for a second, enough for Leon to see a slimy tentacle, much longer than the others come out of the top of the head, then with a sick sloppy noise, morphed itself into a long, sharp—

--_blade?!_

Resuming its advance, the bladed tendril sliced through the air in a circular pattern, sweeping and cutting through the air with whip-like speed. Leon jumped back, out of the creature's quick blade, cutting through the night like a scythe.

_Dear god, what the hell happened to you? _

_What the hell are you?_

He fired again, three more rounds which tore through the head, spraying blood to the wet, muddy ground below. One shot went straight through the thick, viscous eye, causing the creature to emit an audible piercing, inhuman shriek. Another jagged lightning bolt cut through the night sky, and suddenly, the human part of the monster fell to its knees as if it was just stabbed. Leon quickly realized that this was one of those _Plagas _that the anonymous writer had mentioned, and as such, he quickly unclipped one of his flashbang grenades and hurled it at the creature as it began to stand back up. The blade whipped out along the ground in an attempt to slice Leon's legs off, but missed. Leon shielded his eyes just before the grenade exploded, and a bright, blinding white light surrounded the two.

A loud, ear-splitting squeal of pain shot out from the Plaga, as if someone was ripping it apart, followed by the sound of ripping membrane. He heard the body fall to the slick ground, and after ten seconds, Leon pulled his arm away from his eyes, the scene returning to normal. Shining his light upon the body, he found absolutely no trace of the parasite—just the decapitated body of the villager.

_Damn, it just disintegrated…literally. _

With the threat over for now, Leon decided he could muse upon it later—right now, he had to get Ashley. He ran up the path, knowing he was getting closer to the falls as the sound of rushing water grew louder and stronger.

_I just hope I don't run into any more of those things…_

_--------------- _

Luis found himself just leaving the back at the farm near the outset of the village, when he stopped for a moment to catch his breath. He knew that his house was just up ahead, but he had been running for some time now, and he just needed a minute. So far, they hadn't found him yet—he knew that Saddler, Salazar, and Mendez were hunting him. They knew he stole the master Plaga sample, and some medication to help slow the maturation process. He just hoped that he could get to Leon and the girl in time before the eggs hatched—if not that, then before the larvae Plagas could reach their maturity. Once they did, it was game over for both of them, and then, the world.

He had meant to leave some of the meds by Leon when he briefly saw him lying passed out on the floor. Noticing the dried blood on his hands, he knew that the Plagas had begun to do what they do best—they attacked by attaching themselves to the central nervous system of whatever host they happen to be occupying. Once they reached maturity, he hypothesized that they would "communicate" to the queen Plaga, which was currently occupying the bodies of the top three men in charge of the Los Illuminados. Their genetic structure was different than that of the regular Plagas which infected the _ganados—_the host containing the queen Plaga had full control over his or her own body, somehow harmonizing with the queen's resonant frequencies, enabling them to control anyone infected with the lesser Plaga parasites. What this medication would do is retard the rate of growth, thus buying more time. In addition, if the medicine was ingested before the eggs began to hatch, then the drug would kill the parasites. Unfortunately, seeing Leon in his current state confirmed what the researcher had dreaded—the eggs had hatched and begun trying to take over the body; the meds would only slow down their maturity. However, he was on the run, and couldn't stay for long—he didn't want to leave the meds for Leon, in case someone else stopped by and took them.

Now, he was heading back to his house, where much of his data and journals were kept, provided the house wasn't raided. Needless to say, he needed to get back to the island where the research facility was—that was where he was ordered to give the master Plaga sample to the beautiful lady in the red dress. She was incredibly sexy, but his charm wasn't winning her over. He had discovered that she had intercepted some correspondence from him at his facility, which was intended to go to another scientist and fellow friend at a university in Spain, but when she revealed herself to him, he had remembered being an emotional wreck. All this came after he realized Saddler's true intentions, and he was ready to turn himself into the police, the organization that he once worked valiantly for. His own greed led him to this nightmare, and he remembered begging her to take him into custody, thinking that she was a member of the police. Instead, he was ordered to get a master sample of a Plaga parasite. Still, her motives in this whole mess remained unclear, which was something that he'd have to chat with her about when he saw her next.

For the moment, he hoped that he'd at least find a temporary shelter inside his own house. He knew that not only was where he felt the most safe, but he had some munitions in case he ran into any more _ganados_. They were much more dangerous at night, a conclusion he arrived at early on in his research. Quickly, he discovered that the Plaga parasites were extremely sensitive to light—enough of it could actually kill them. He spent many hours in the dark, since it was the only way that he could study the live organisms. Because the parasites thrived at night, they were more likely to expose themselves, usually in the fashion of bursting out of their hosts. They were capable of this sudden burst after the parasite reached full maturity inside the host, which also meant that they had full control over the central nervous system of said host. Knowing this, he had left a couple of stolen flashbang grenades by the house on the lake. Seeing what had happened to Leon, he knew that his condition was caused by injected Plagas—knocking the unsuspecting host out was the first major step toward claiming the body. They induced seizure-like symptoms, cutting off or severely restricting the air supply to the lungs. The brain, deprived of oxygen, shuts down, taking the body with it. Once the body was at rest, the Plagas were free to continue their maturity without being hindered by the host's normal day-to-day activity.

A blinding flash of lightning streaked across the sky, followed by a booming peal of thunder as it echoed throughout the area, catching Luis by surprise, jumping off the ground. Still pouring, the drenched researcher resumed his run toward the lonely house. Once inside, he found himself surrounded in darkness. Feeling his way around, he climbed up on top of his dining table, reached into a pocket and pulled out a lighter. He grabbed an oil lantern that hung above the table, turned the knob and lit the flame. The warm, pale glow of the lantern light brightened up the room considerably, and he went to work lighting a couple others, so that from the outward appearance, one could have assumed that someone switched on a bulb. The village itself was so far away from any major city that it didn't have electricity—a luxury afforded by the wealthier folk on the island, such as Bitores Mendez, Ramon Salazar, and Osmund Saddler. However, the island research facility was a full-scale, properly equipped and running structure, complete with everything needed to do anything science related. Even though Luis grew up in the village, spent most of his life here, the people just learned to get on without most modern amenities—it was better, they thought. It kept them active rather than falling to the conveniences of modern living which led to laziness and sloth.

Observing his surroundings, the single large room that made up the ground floor showed no obvious signs of breaking and entering—everything was still intact. All the bookcases still had his books, much to his relief. Satisfied with what he saw, he went upstairs to the second floor, again, a single room occupying the entire floor. It served as Luis' bedroom, study, and den. He had spent many hours up here, continuing the day's research often long into the night. Lighting a bedside lantern, he noticed again that nothing had been disturbed, much to his pleasant surprise. He'd half-expected Mendez to charge through the place looking for the stolen master Plaga. Obviously they had all known now about Luis' betrayal, and no doubt that they were not going to stop until he either was captured and forcibly injected with another egg, or dead. Knowing Saddler, he would prefer to keep Luis very much alive, for no doubt Luis could still be useful even as a mindless puppet to Saddler.

_Ah, good…I can relax for a little bit. Give me some time to think._

He sat down on his unmade bed, his head buried in his hands as his mind frantically spun, trying to piece together everything that had happened so far. Another thunderclap boomed through the air, the pouring rain showing no signs of abating anytime soon.

_Una qué mala noche…and poor American, caught up in this whole mess, got infected, all for doing what his country asked of him. Some compensation…then again, I'm in the same boat._

He rubbed a sore spot on his neck from where the needle punctured the light brown skin. He had been given the same "gift" as Leon several hours ago—when he parted ways with the American cop, he knew that the church had kept a small stash of the vaccine; the pill drug that Luis himself had created and supplied Saddler with, even though Saddler insisted that there was no need for such a silly drug. He also knew that's where that girl was hiding, and probably where Saddler or one of his men would do their dirty work on "cleansing" her. He knew that the master Plaga was going to be very important in their ritual, so he swiped it from the church before they caught on. He was hoping that he'd run into that woman again and soon. He'd give the sample to her, and he could escape the nightmare and begin a new life, his lessons soundly and harshly learned. Greed and his own scientific curiosity blinded him to what Saddler's true intentions were, and now he was paying the price.

He reached into a pocket on his brown pants and pulled out a small tube, about as long as his hand. Inside, a slick, purple translucent liquid sloshed around, and inside it was a small, fully matured Plaga parasite. Because it hadn't attached itself to a host, it was harmless by itself. He stared at the thing, turning the test tube and watching the liquid move back and forth from one end to the other.

_Look at what you've done, mi amigo…you've been a bad specimen. _

He set the cylindrical glass tube down in a drawer of his night table, keeping it in the dark where it was more likely to stay alive. She wouldn't be happy if he brought her a dead sample. Personally, he didn't care either way, but if he could get out of this still alive, then everything was worth it. Even so, just looking at the specimen swimming in its purple goo caused his heart to be heavy with grief and inner torment, knowing that his research caused all this. Even though he wasn't devoutly religious, he felt he had to atone for his heinous crimes somehow, which was the only reason why he was even considering helping out the American in the first place.

Reaching into his other pocket to pull out the small container of those wonderful white pills, he suddenly felt a twinge of dread hit him in the stomach.

_Eh?_

His hand felt all around the inside of the pocket, and he came to the realization that the meds were gone. He began to panic.

_¡Hijo de puta! Where the hell—mierda, I must have dropped them while running away from the _ganados. _Damn it!_

"Damn it!" he yelled aloud, which was almost instantly followed by a loud crash of booming thunder, accentuating the point.

_The only other place where any of the medicine may be is inside Salazar's castle…which means…oh, shit, I can't escape from this horror…FUCK!_

Furious, he gritted his teeth in pure anger, knowing that if the American and the girl stood _any _chance of living, he'd have to find the meds for them, which meant backtracking into his castle—something that would delay his escape by a large timeframe. Reaching inside the drawer, he angrily grabbed the Plaga sample and pulled his arm back, ready to throw it, ready to end it all—

--when he realized that doing so would solve nothing. Even if he disposed of the sample, she would be very angry with him. Even though he didn't know her well, he knew women well enough to know that you didn't want to get one pissed. Even though she was hot, sexy, and just screaming to have a male buried deep inside her, she carried a gun. He was too emotionally unstable right now and she knew it, and was playing it to her advantage. The enormous torrent of emotions was quickly too much for the young scientist to bear, his heart and mind racked with sudden incredible guilt. He slumped back down onto the bed, letting the sample fall to the bed with him, unharmed.

Overcome, he buried his head in his hands and began to cry.

----------

The rain had let up slightly for the moment, the thunder and lightning at least stopped for now, but he was still soaked to the bone from navigating through the waterfall. There, he had come across an object that he prayed would unlock the church door—however, the task wasn't easy. The object itself was well hidden behind the actual falls, and he had to deal with those _things _again—creatures were just jumping out of everyone tonight, it seemed. He realized just how powerful one of his flashbang grenades could be—it took out several of those disgusting things in one shot. However, he was now out, and hoped he could get more.

He now found himself back at the church after finding a shortcut through the rock face which led him back to the lake. He crossed it and ventured back through familiar ground, back across the narrow wooden walkway that lined a rock face, and now here he stood at the front of the church. The object seemed to be the size of a small Frisbee, made of polished brown stone. In the center was that strange symbol he had seen on top of the church and on a door back in the village. Hopefully, this was the thing that would allow Leon into the church.

_Here goes nothing…_

He pushed the dense object into the circular recess in the double doors. He heard a small click after he pushed the round disc as far in as it could. He put his hand on the door and pushed, and finally, a wave of relief swept through him as the door gave, and at last, allowed him inside the church of the Los Illuminados.

He had walked into a relatively small edifice, pretty well lit church. Candelabras were lit, placed in spots about the place of worship. He noticed that the church was quite elaborately ornate. Several pews lined up in two neat rows, creating a middle walkway. Stone surrounded all sides of the building. He stepped inside, getting out of the driving rain and into the relatively warm surroundings.

_Not a bad little place…_

To the immediate left and right, walkways went around the pews, probably to behind the stone wall that housed the altar. Leon noticed that there was a second story, evidenced by a walkway there. The main attraction was indeed the front of the church itself. Tapestries hung off the sides, decorated with fine embroidery. On either side of the raised platform was banner flags—red fabric that had the unique symbol of the church sewn into the center.

_Someone's a little extravagant…_

He closed the door behind him and looked around some more, taking it all in, thinking about where Ashley could possibly be. In dead center stood a wooden altar, a dark piece—probably some real wood, polished and finished just so. An embroidered cloth was draped over it, and two candles stood at the ends. High above on the far wall was a large circular object containing the Los Illuminados symbol, appearing to be illuminated by three different color lights—red, green, and blue. Still, his mind wondered as to what religion was practiced here. To the right were two large glass windows. Leon could hear the driving rain pelting them.

_Where could you be? It's not as if this was a huge place…_

He took a few steps to his right and glanced down the walkway. From his view, it simply led to a dead end. Backtracking and proceeding to his left, he noticed a ladder that led up to the second floor. It was well hidden—it couldn't be seen from any of the pews. With no other option, he went a few steps and climbed quickly up the metal ladder until he got to the top. The second story simply was a narrow path that went around the perimeter of the church, nothing too special. He found himself standing directly above the altar, staring at the front of the church. He noticed a small, wooden chandelier that he didn't see before hanging from the ceiling. Circular in structure, it held candles all around. At eye level to Leon, hanging above the doorway, was a massive portrait of the cult leader, presumably. It was similar to the one he'd seen back in the Chief's house, just much larger. His dignified and stern visage seemed to glare at him, as if knowing that Leon shouldn't be here.

He turned the corner and found himself a metal wooden door set off to the left, the metal brown and rusty.

_Might as well…_

He had his gun raised and ready, expecting something to come bursting out of the door, probably another of those strange creatures—of which he had no flashbang grenades to use. He'd have to rely solely on firepower. He turned the knob, burst into the room—

--when suddenly a terrified female scream cut the through the air, sounding female. It let out another panicked yell, horrified by the sudden intrusion.

"Don't come any closer!" she screamed, grabbing a thick wooden stick lying on the ground and hurling it as hard as she could toward the intruder.

Her aim was considerably off as it sailed past Leon, hitting the stone wall behind him.

"Hey, take it easy!" Leon yelled irritably, in no mood to take crap from this person after his ordeal thus far.

"No!" she screamed, then ran herself into a corner, effectively trapping herself. "Go away!"

_Never back yourself into a corner._

He moved closer to the terrified girl. "Calm down. Everything's going to be just fine."

Her scared brown eyes searched for an exit. She bolted toward the open door, but got only a few steps when Leon grabbed her by the wrist. "My name's Leon. I'm under orders from the President to rescue you."

She turned her head toward the man, ceasing her struggling.

"What? My…father?"

Leon managed a slight grin. "That's right, and I've come to get you out of here. Just a sec." He grabbed his radio and called Hunnigan. In seconds, her face showed up on the tiny screen.

"It's Leon. I've succeeded in extricating my subject."

She smiled. "Good work, Leon. I'll send an evac chopper over right away."

"Where's the extraction point?"

"There's another trail that you can take to get out of the village. The chopper will pick you up beyond there."

"Got it," he replied. "I'm on my way. Leon out."

Putting the radio away, he quickly checked his handgun, and then quickly turned to the girl behind him.

"Let's go."

They walked quickly out of the room, down the walkway, being as quiet as they could. As they turned the corner, Leon climbed down the ladder quickly. When he got to the bottom, he was staring up at a skeptical-looking Ashley, her facial expression one of fear.

_Shit. So the girl doesn't like heights._

"Come on!" he motioned. "Let's go!"

"I can't!" she whined. "I don't like heights!"

After all he had done, he didn't have time for this pansy bullshit—there was no time to lose. He wasn't going to sit here and coddle her. So he utilized the sure-fire method of getting her down.

"Suit yourself," Leon said, turning and walking quickly toward the exit.

"NO!" she screamed loudly, perhaps a bit too loud. "All right…" she began, her voice shrinking in fear. "If I jump, will you catch me?"

Leon smirked. "Yes. Now hurry! We have no time!" He held out his arms at the base of the ladder, ready.

She stood for another few seconds, her hands balled into fists at her sides, the knuckles turning white. "All right!" She closed her eyes tight and jumped off the ledge, and in two seconds it was over—she landed safely in his arms.

"Was that so bad?" he asked, setting her upright. She silently shook her head. "Well, then, let's go." The two ran down the walkway, made a left as they made for the door. When they arrived out in the open church, a new voice unfamiliar to Leon resonated throughout the church, deep and firm.

"_I'll _take the girl."

The two of them turned around in time to see a man standing in front of the altar, a man dressed in heavy religious robes made of dark blue and purple fabrics. He wore a head covering, and he looked rather pale, unusually so. Along his upper chest, gold adorned the gap between the robes.

_The man in those portraits…_

Leon glared at him angrily. "Who are you?"

He smiled. "If you must know, my name is Osmund Saddler, the master of this fine…religious community." His voice had a heavy Spanish accent, but he spoke English well, it seemed.

"What do you want?" Leon asked firmly, not taking his gaze off Saddler.

He took a step forward, then raised his arms wide in gesture. "To demonstrate to the whole world our astounding power, of course." He chuckled; gaze still locked on the two Americans, then took another step forward. "No longer will the United States think they can police the world forever. So we kidnapped the President's daughter in order to give her our power…then send her back."

"No…" Ashley moaned as images flooded back to her in a rush—remembering getting knocked out, then seeing someone, a cloaked figure, inject her in the neck with a strange substance. She raised her hand to her neck, giving Leon a pained expression. "I think they shot something in my neck…"

Leon returned his glare to the grinning leader. "What did you do to her?!"

Saddler simply smiled. "We just planted her a little…gift." He laughed loudly this time, a dry laugh of triumph. "Oh, there's going to be one _hell _of a party when she returns home to her loving father." He began to pace back and forth by the altar. "But before that, I thought I might bargain with the President for some…donations. Believe it or not—" He gestured toward the illuminated Los Illuminados symbol above him—"It takes quite a lot of money to keep this church up and running."

"Faith and money will lead you nowhere, Saddler." Leon called out.

"Oh, I believe I forgot to tell you," Saddler began, stopping in front of the altar. "We gave you the same gift."

_Shit, when I was unconscious…_

"Oh, I truly hope you like our small, but special contributions," Saddler continued. "When the eggs hatch, you'll become my puppets. Involuntarily, you'll do as I say. I'll have _total _control over your mind!" He chuckled again, confident. "Don't you think this is a revolutionary way to propagate one's faith?"

"Sounds more like an alien invasion, if you ask me!" Leon yelled, his temper being tested as he became madder by the second. Before anyone could continue, the double doors burst open behind them. Turning around quickly, Leon saw two men dressed in black robes, grinning manically, aiming crossbows directly at the two Americans. He glanced back at Saddler, still grinning.

_I'm gonna wipe that stupid grin off your face!_

"Come on!" Leon yelled, gripping Ashley firmly by the arm, and suddenly they were running away to the right. Instantly, the two men fired their crossbows, just missing Leon's head by mere inches as they lodged themselves into a pillar. Both of them leaped into the air, crashing directly into the window, causing it to shatter loudly as glass shards flew past the both of them. In panic, Ashley screamed loudly, covering her face as best she could. They landed on hard stone floor, and found themselves inside a storage room of sorts as glass rained down on the two of them. Quickly, the two of them stood up, and Ashley checked herself for any damage.

"You okay?" Leon asked.

She nodded, looking at Leon with a look of pure terror. "What's gonna happen to us?"

"Don't worry," Leon said reassuringly. "We got into this mess, we can get out of it."

_I'm gonna get you, Saddler. You are going to pay dearly when I see you next!_

_---------_

**END OF CHAPTER SIX. **Yeah, I know. People who have played this: you're probably going to ask me why I didn't put in the El Gigante. Several reasons: one, there's several of them, two; as it stands in this novel, Leon doesn't have the ammo. Three: he just fought Del Lago about six hours prior. I thought it best to move the plot along rather than throw yet another massive monster for Leon to fight. Give the man a break! El Gigante will appear, just not yet. With that said, reviews welcome. Chapter Seven up soon.


	8. Chapter Seven: Before My Sight

**Author's Note: **Apologies for not getting an update done in a while. I've been away, and I've been trying for the last 3 days to upload Chapters 7 and 8, but FFnet seemed to not work. Now they're here, so read on!**  
**

**  
Chapter Seven: Before My Sight**

_The whereabouts of Sera are still unknown. Most likely he's using an old secret passage taught to him by his grandfather who used to hunt in this region long ago. I'm pretty certain that he's hiding our property somewhere in the forest. But how did he find out about the egg injected into his body? And the fact that he was able to remove it before it hatched is concerning. Another factor that concerns me is that Sera escaped with our property just before the American agent arrived. I don't believe that was just a coincidence. There has to be another player involved in this. In order to settle this whole situation, we have to capture Sera and wait for the effects of the drug to wear off before we inject him with another egg. Once this is done, whoever is behind all of this will surface. Nobody shall interfere with our plans. Those who do shall suffer severe consequences. _

_Also, just a while ago, I was informed by Lord Saddler that our men had shot down a United States military helicopter. There shouldn't be any more outside interference for a while now. Unless the United States government determines who the traitor is, they can only initiate very small overt operations. We muse use this time to our advantage and recapture the girl. The two Americans can only get out of our territory by using one of two routes. This is where we will stop them. We shall make use of our forces to the greatest degree. We will deploy a large number of Ganados in one of the routes to ensure that they do not slip by us. For the other route we shall leave the task to El Gigante. Whichever route they take, the agent will never leave here alive. Not with the girl at least._

_---- _

_Morir es vivir…morir es vivir…_

She began to stir, her body feeling incredibly tired and fatigued.

_Ohhhh…damn, what the hell happened?_

As she slowly opened her eyes, her vision came to her in a blur as the body began to fully awaken. Her eyes beginning to focus, she realized she was staring up at stone, and as the touch sensations on her skin became active, she began to realize that she was laying on something hard and cold, but smooth to the touch. Firelight emanating from two lit lanterns set into the stone next to her added to her confusion.

_Where the fuck am I?_

The last thing she remembered was running from that big, bulky moron of a village chief, distracting the hulking man away from Leon, giving him time to escape. However, she hadn't banked on running into a group of the Ganados, and though she managed to take care of nearly all of them, she missed one—and that asshole shot her with a tranquilizer dart, knocking her out in seconds. For a bunch of primitive, filthy slobs, they seemed to have some sort of intelligence. Whether it was a side effect of the Plaga infection, she didn't know. What she did know was that during the time she was knocked out, she was taken to this strange, unfamiliar place. She made out two male voices very close by, and as she turned her head slightly to her left, her sight could make out two armed villagers below her, down on their knees and muttering in prayer. Now quite awake, she put the pieces together—she was lying on some sort of altar, and the villagers were praying before they killed her in sacrifice.

_Oh, you fools…sad, pathetic fools. _

Quickly, she reached down to her leg and grabbed the gun out of its holster, the sudden noise of motion snapping the two men out of their prayer. He opened his bright red eyes and screamed an obscenity in anger, grabbing his axe off the floor and coming down fast. She wouldn't be able to get a shot off in time, and she quickly dodged out of the way, but not fast enough as the blade nicked her exposed leg, cutting through the first few layers of flesh.

_Fucking bastard!_

No time to check her wound, she spun around with her other leg, kicking the man hard in the chest with her tall heeled shoe, the force of it knocking the wind out of him and sending him sprawling back into the stone wall. Before the other male could react, she got off the stone altar and glared as angrily as she could, her gun locked on the closest one's head. She was pissed—they had knocked her out, and were going to kill her had she stayed unconscious.

Whatever her facial expression was, it began to have the desired effect as the standing man began to withdraw, stepping slowly back as she advanced a step toward him, gun still aimed at his head.

"I don't think so, sucker," she said calmly, then pulled the trigger three times, firing three hot 9mm rounds at point-blank range into the man's head, slicing through his skull and sending out chunks of blood and brain through the back of his head. As the body began to fall, she quickly turned and shot three more rounds into the sprawled male's head, causing him to spasm violently as his blood stained the stone.

"You're in a far better place now," she said aloud to the two dead men, knowing that their suffering was over. Death had to be a better fate than becoming someone's mindless puppet, she reasoned. She lifted the red fabric that covered her legs to check out what the damage was from that axe—nothing too major, but it was a decent cut. Luckily, it hadn't been too deep. Any slower, she could've lost her leg. It was bleeding slightly, not enough to warrant any concern.

Ada remembered she had to find Luis, see if he had the sample yet. However, she was currently in unfamiliar ground, so she'd have to do a little bit of exploring to get her bearings straightened. To her right was a wall of stone, a complete dead end, and so she went to her left, the only way she could go. As Ada ventured down the path, it came to an end outside, placing her on a small walkway that was lining the face of a cliff. The night air was cold, and the wind swirling around in this wide open area was laden with moisture. The rain had stopped, but the area was still moist, the sky still very much overcast.

_Damn, I must have been out for six, seven, possibly eight hours. I wonder if anyone is still around…good hiding place, that—little sacrificial altar hidden inside the cliff, out of everyone's sight…real smart, Saddler. I bet Wesker is laughing his ass off, the bastard._

She found herself at a landing on a stairwell—going down led to more unfamiliarity or something Ada wasn't remembering at the moment. Going up led somewhere else, and she could make out the top of what looked like a building or something. Walking up the metal stairs, she reached the top and found herself staring at a small building indeed, and next to the building was what appeared to be an electric powered lift, perhaps a ski lift. There were no mountains here, and she noticed that the airlift stretched out far into the distance, spanning across a huge chasm, bridging the gap between here and what was on the other side a thousand or so feet away.

The building itself was probably the control center for the lift, and as she walked toward the door, she found herself remembering exactly where she was now, the satellite images Wesker had shown her coming back into her mind in a flash. The lift, provided she could get power running to it, would take her back toward the large gate, the exit from the village, which would then lead to the castle of the Salazar family. She had heard about the eighth Castellan from Wesker—sounded like a slimy, nasty sort of person. Ada had never met him, and she didn't really care. She was after the Plaga sample—the less people she had to deal with, the better; and the quicker she could get out of here.

Walking inside the abandoned structure, she noticed the place a mess—chairs had been flipped over, lying in disarray. Several small lockers had been ripped from the wall, some of them lying open and banged up, scattered along the floor. The glass window surrounding the perimeter of the control room was shattered and broken in places, indicating a possible struggle. However, the control panel seemed intact. The panel had stretched across the length of the wall adjacent to the door, lined with many buttons, switches, and levers. In the center were two oversized buttons, much larger than any of the others, as big as a minidisk each, one red and one green. She chuckled to herself at the blatant obviousness of the panel, and was willing to bet that if she pressed the green one, the lift would start moving. Testing her theory, she pushed the green button and held it down for a few seconds.

She could hear the sounds of machinery stirring to life, her theory tested and confirmed. Gears and pulleys began to move and grind as a generator began to hum to life, and about a minute later, she could see the cars starting to move slowly at first, then picking up speed as the enormous structure continued awakening until it was moving normally without any problems. She walked out of the control room and onto the landing, watching as the next car turned around and headed back up toward the village gate. She grabbed on and she found herself moving, the car rising up into the air away from there, hanging on by thick, metal rope. Nothing was between her and certain death as the car moved quietly over the empty space.

Now she could get back to the village and find Luis, hoping that he had the sample already. Granted, she had to find several, and she knew that more of them were located on the island research facility. However, she wanted the master sample for the agency, for "S." No way was Wesker going to get his filthy paws all over this one, whether he wanted to revive the corporation or not. As far as he knew, her allegiance was with him. She was an opportunist in nearly every sense, but to get this sample, she knew that she was going to have to do a lot of work to make sure certain things fell into place at just the right time. The biggest key to the whole thing was Luis himself. As the lift moved steadily, the wind blowing through her straight black hair, her mind was heavy in thought.

_Out of all the people who are involved in this, Luis Sera has the least entanglement. He works for no organization, preferring to move on his own. I'm the one who told the organization of his importance. I did it, because I like him. His history portrays an enthusiasm _

_I once shared. It was a stroke of luck that I happened to intercept his email for help. It seems that he can't trust the police, so he sent the email to an old friend in college. He must have thought his friend was still alive. In any rate, that's how I managed to find him. Apparently he has been conducting his own investigation of the cult by doing research on Las Plagas. He certainly is a brilliant scientist. He has accumulated much data and has pieced most of it together. Must be why Saddler hired him...too bad Sera's snooping has aroused his suspicion._

_When I told him who I was, he practically begged to be taken into custody. He needed the protection. It is neither the love for Las Plagas, nor the stupid cult. He wants to get out and have peace and quiet again. I ordered him to bring me a master Plaga specimen, a sample...for evidence. Looks like he is one of the few people who Saddler actually trusts...tracking him down and getting the hands on the sample should be difficult. I doubt the cult will take kindly to his escape though. I'll have to guide this along if I want this to go smoothly..._

Before she knew it, the lift had arrived at the other end. Casually, she stepped off and descended the stairs which led her back onto the dirt path. She had come to a clearing, and there it was—the gate that led out of the village and toward the Salazar castle. Way ahead was a bridge leading to a set of double red doors, and another below, coming out by a small stone building, with steps leading up to a small lookout post, it seemed. Picking one at random, she decided to go through the red double doors, perhaps thinking that it'd be a shortcut. At the door, she discovered that it was barred from the other side, but that refused to deter her. Taking her handgun, she blasted several rounds into where she thought a lock would be, splinters flying as she did so. She then gave the door one swift kick, breaking the block of wood that served as a jam.

_Idiots…_

She walked through the busted doors and found herself upon a clearing, finding herself surrounded in wooden structures.

_Hmm…_

There was nothing to do except follow the path, and so she followed it cautiously as it took a right. The path was narrow here, as she was surrounded by wood.

_Must be a camp or a compound of some kind…_

Mining carts, busted rails and gnarled track greeted her as the walkway opened up, a door at the end. What appeared to be an entrance to a mine was sealed off by wooden boards, possibly indicating that the particular mine had fallen into disuse. A metal door greeted her, but she noticed that there was a walkway above it. Perhaps it led to where she wanted to go, ultimately to find Luis, hopefully back at his cabin. There were no ladders up, and she didn't want to leap up over the rope guardrail, simply because she didn't want her dress getting caught on a jagged piece of wood and tearing.

So she opened the door very slowly, walked a few steps forward and found herself in the middle of a somewhat circular clearing, surrounded by a walkway and loosely thrown together, it seemed. Two ladders on either side led up to the walkway on the upper level. She looked around and noticed that the upper level had several of the _ganados _walking around, not noticing her presence just yet. She'd attempt to climb up a ladder as quietly as she could, then try to slip by, and if she had to shoot a few, she could. She had the ammo for it. Ada took one step toward the ladder to her right—

--and suddenly, two loud, inhuman feral shrieks cut through the night, literally startling Ada, causing her to turn in the direction of the piercing noise. Two women stood at the edge of the other walkway by the ladder, and they were both holding large objects in their hands. In unison, both pulled rip cords and the sounds of two chainsaws roared to life, revving up. Instantly, it seemed that _ganados _had just appeared out of nowhere, lining the edges of the upper walkway as if this was about to become a spectator event. Both women leapt into the pit where Ada stood, their appearance haggard. One wore a light brown, long-sleeve blouse, tucked into a long green skirt covered with smeared dirt and what could possibly be dried blood. The other wore something similar, a light blue blouse tucked into a long gray skirt, with a white apron covering the skirt, covered in more blood than her sister. What drew the eyes to them was not just the fact that they were holding chainsaws, but because both their faces and heads were wrapped in loose dangling bandages, or possibly strips of cloth, with their eyes and mouths exposed.

_What the hell kind of people are you?_

As the two sisters crept slowly toward Ada, their chainsaws loud and high in the air, the other villagers looked on, their eyes filled with bloodlust as they waited for the entertainment to begin.

A sly grin broke across Ada's face, not even fazed by the obvious danger. Personally, one of Umbrella's Tyrant freaks scared her more than this. Two crazed women would be nothing. The women lunged at her, screaming at the top of their lungs.

_Come get some, if you can!_

_--- _

"Leon, I'm afraid I have some bad news," Hunnigan began, her face showing obvious disappointment. Something bad had happened, and Leon was in no mood for anything bad, not when he was so close to getting out of here.

"I'd rather not hear it," he replied.

"Well, I'm afraid I have to tell you anyway," she began, and then took a deep breath. "We've lost contact with the chopper. Intelligence is telling us that it was shot down, but we don't know by whom."

"Great," he said, frustration and annoyance lining his face.

_Who else could've done it? Damn you, Saddler…_

"We're prepping another chopper for you, so I want you to keep heading for the extraction point," she ordered.

"Got it. Leon out."

He dropped his head in disappointment after holstering the radio, shaking his head. Ashley too had heard the conversation and expressed a look of hopelessness. They were standing at the head of a wooden bridge at the moment. The rain had stopped for the moment, and now it was just windy. The night sky still very much overcast; there was nothing left to do but head toward the extraction point as per Hunnigan's instructions. Leon led, jogging along the bridge with Ashley in tow. Up ahead, the path went down a slight hill, and he could make out a cabin in the distance. As soon as they crossed the bridge, they heard a loud crash some distance behind them. Both spun quickly behind in time to see the door back to the farm burst open, and saw a legion of villagers come pouring out of the gate, carrying lit torches and various manners of armaments ranging from axes, pitchforks, and knives. They walked quickly toward them, screaming in anger.

_Shit!_

The two quickly began running toward the cabin, but in doing so, a stream of angry villagers began coming out somewhere behind, with very much the same intent—they were planning to sandwich the two and capture them, probably ordered by Saddler or Mendez. Panic began to grip Ashley as she began to whine, then gripped onto Leon's arm.

"What are we going to do, Leon?" she asked, fear starting to creep into her voice.

"I hate to say it, but we're sandwiched, all right." He shot a quick glance ahead, noticing the cabin. "Quick, head for that cabin!" She was off before he could finish the sentence, and very quickly they were on the move, hoping to buy some time at least. They were severely outnumbered, and there was nothing they could do except pray. Leon had a hunch that they were not going to stop until they were captured, or worse, dead. Some seconds later, they burst inside the cabin, and Leon quickly slammed the door and barricaded it with his body in an attempt to jam the door. Ashley watched in horror as he tried to hold the door, knowing that they were going to be overrun by the entire village in a minute.

"Leon!" said a man with a Spanish accent. He turned just in time to see a slab of wood fly through the air, a door jam—just what he was looking for. Barricading the door, the two turned around to see who else was here, and there he was, standing by the staircase.

"Luis!" Leon said, feeling a little relieved.

"Small world, eh?" Luis replied, smiling. His gaze turned to the young, attractive woman in his view. He looked up and down her body, noticing her prominent breasts even through the sweater. Ashley noticed his obvious glare. "Well, I see that the President has equipped his daughter with ballistics as well." He chuckled, amused.

She shot him a look of repulsion at the obvious innuendo. "How rude! And I don't believe there's any relevance between my figure and my standing! Who are you?"  
Luis raised his hands and bowed in mock fealty. "Whoa there! Excuse me, Your Highness! Perhaps the young lady might want to introduce _herself _first before asking someone his name?"

She looked at him disgustingly, her hands clasped on her hips. "Her name's Ashley Graham, the President's daughter."

Luis shot a look at Leon. "Is she…you know?"

"Don't worry," he replied. "She's cool."

Luis shrugged and began to walk around the room. "Eh, never mind. There's supposed to be some obvious symptom before you turn into one of them, anyway."

Ashley gasped as she looked outside the window and saw the approaching villagers, which began to surround the house completely. Both men saw the same and readied their firearms.

"Ashley, upstairs!" Leon ordered, becoming authoritative. Not arguing with that logic, she quickly ran upstairs and out of sight. Luis ran to a cabinet along the far wall and opened it, revealing many boxes of handgun and shotgun ammunition, in addition to between ten and twenty flashbang grenades.

"Where the hell did you get all that?" Leon asked, surprised.

"Saddler's surplus. I stocked up," he said casually, smirking.

"You mean you stole it," Leon replied.

"I like to think of it as helping those in need," Luis said with a hand flourish. "And we are in need¿sí?"

"You've got a point. Clever." Luis took several boxes of ammo and put it on the table for their quick access. The men checked their handguns and braced themselves next to windows along the walls. The villagers began pounding on the windows and barricaded door.

Luis shot Leon a look. "Okay…it's game time."

Upstairs, Ashley heard the sounds of gunfire.

---

Bitores Mendez glared disgustedly at the two men lying in a pool of their blood on the ground, his mind thinking about his next course of action. His two Ganados that he ordered to kill that woman were lying dead at his feet, and she had escaped. He growled angrily and kicked one of the corpses, his sheer strength sending it flying across the room, crashing into the wall, cracking its bones.

_I should've just killed her myself! _

He never dared to question Lord Saddler's logic, knowing that every decision he made was for the best, all intended to bring about the great new future, but Mendez couldn't help but wonder why he wanted to keep the American agent alive. The girl was key to the entire plan, but why did he want the American agent still alive? He was certain that he and Luis were in cooperation with each other—Luis was onto Saddler's plan, and didn't take too kindly to it. How he found out about the egg was startling, yes, but not totally unexpected. The big question still nagging at his mind was this third party that seemed to be involved. Was it a covert operation of the United States? Is there another one inside the Los Illuminados who is leaking information? The woman's role in all of this was still a mystery, although Lord Saddler didn't seem to be worried about it.

Regardless, the woman was gone, far more skilled than Mendez realized. This was no ordinary woman. Was she in cooperation with the American agent and Luis as well? Regardless, he didn't have time to think about the convoluted possibilities—his mission was to find them.

_I'm sorry, my Lord…but the American agent may further hinder our plans before the egg hatches. He shows incredible determinism. While he'd make an excellent Ganado…right now, he's too dangerous. I clearly underestimated the American agent's capability. He's still alive. I thought that we could wait until the egg hatched, but at this rate he could destroy the entire village before it does. We must take care of this nuisance._

_We shall change our priorities--for the time being we will cease our hunt for Luis and ambush the two Americans. There is a building used to enlighten betrayers just beyond the point where you get off the lift. It's a perfect place for ambushing them. If all else fails, they still would need to face me in order to get past the last gate that leads out of the village. _

A devious smile crossed his face.

_For only before my sight will the gate open._

_--- _

Another shotgun blast tore through the fray, gouging a massive hole through the man's torso, forcing him to drop his axe as he screamed, clutching himself in agony as blood cascaded over his fingers before he collapsed to the floor, moaning and calling for Lord Saddler. Handgun fire quickly came over the shotgun blast, then followed by the sounds of a head exploding, quickly followed by an ungodly freak of a slimy creature that sprouted tentacles, flailing everywhere.

"Damn it! Don't these guys ever quit?" Luis called over the loud noise as he grabbed a flashbang grenade and hurled it to the ground. "Leon, shield your eyes!" A second later, the room filled with an exploding noise followed by a flash of blinding white light, which elicited primal screams from the villagers who transformed into those strange monsters as the parasite disintegrated their skin. Somewhere in the terrific noise, he could hear a couple of guys outside talking amongst themselves for a few seconds. As the light faded away, he could see a male, a torch in his hand, raised his other hand and said, "Vamanos."

Suddenly, as quickly as they had arrived, it seemed, they turned around and began to retreat, much to the surprise of the two men.

_What the hell?_

Many men and women walked back over the bridge, most of them still carrying lit torches, leaving the cabin and calling off the attack. Perhaps this was planned? The two men looked out of separate windows at the procession of the villagers as they headed back toward the village. As soon as the last ones made it back over the bridge, two explosions suddenly filled the air near the bridge, a brief flash of light illuminating the overcast sky. Seconds later, they could hear the sounds of wood slamming violently into the ground, followed by cheering on the other side with some obscenities thrown in for some good measure.

The bridge was destroyed. There was no way that they could head back now, even if they wanted to.

The smell of gunfire and smoke lingered through the air as the last of them retreated back over the bridge and out of sight. The two men breathed heavily as the scene began to return to some semblance of tranquility and normalcy. The floor was littered with corpses, shattered glass and splintered wood, bits and pieces of skin, bone, blood, bits of parasites, spent bullets, clips, shells and flashbang grenades. The first floor looked like a war zone, and there in the middle of it all were two tired, sweaty, and spent men.

Luis looked at Leon and broke the silence. "So, what do we do now?"

Before Leon could answer, the sounds of footsteps cut him off. Ashley appeared, hopefully assuming that the danger had passed—for now, anyway.

"Well, you just heard the bridge getting blown away," Leon replied. "I guess we have no choice but to keep moving. We'll follow you."

Luis waved him off with one hand as he walked toward the door. He lifted the door jam and opened it.

"Nah, cop," he said politely, his face in a half-smile. "I forgot something. You guys go on ahead. Take whatever ammo is left, stock up. You're gonna need it, I'm sure." With that, he walked out into the night. Leon walked to the doorway, attempting to stop him, perhaps get some more info out of him.

"Luis…" he called, peering outside, only to find nothing but empty air.

_Luis?_

He glanced around quickly, and again, nothing. Fruitless, he turned around and went over to tend to Ashley, see how she was doing.

_Damn, out of sight, out of mind, that's for sure…_

_--- _

If there was one thing he was grateful for at this very moment, it was the fact that he knew his way around the area, thanks to his grandfather. He knew about a small hidden path that led into the camp, which took him through some woods. He knew that just beyond his cabin were two main routes one could take to get out of the village. One went through a camp, and the other was just a place where they kept extra mining equipment—a tall, long passageway. Unfortunately, a system was in place that made it so you could only access one route at a time. A lever opened one door and closed another—he didn't know why the _ganados _built that, but then again, after he discovered Saddler's true intentions for the Plagas, he didn't know what went on in that head of his, if the Plagas hadn't eaten it by now. Regardless, the system made a lot of noise—the sounds of gears and pulleys moving. He didn't want to attract Leon's attention with it, which would probably have led to him and Ashley following him. He preferred to be alone, especially now. He knew that Saddler and the big cheese, Mendez, were trying to hunt them all down—why make it easy with all three traveling in a group? Besides, he couldn't be caught yet—he had to find the medicine, and deliver the Plaga sample to that beautiful woman.

There was also the fact that the village exit had a small trick to it. It required the use of a special key that only four of them had—Saddler, the castellan Salazar, the village chief, and Luis himself. Through the village exit, he had to go through the Salazar castle to get to the dock which then took him to the island research facility. Mendez had the master key, however. If Luis lost his, then he was stuck. He had it in a drawer back in his cabin, for which he was profoundly grateful. He decided that he'd leave the village exit propped open for the Americans, since they didn't have the required key.

As he opened a hidden door to get into the camp, he was thinking about this whole predicament—what would she do once she had the sample? Shoot him? He'd known from his own personal experiences that he couldn't trust a woman. Maybe it was just him, who knows? Whatever the case, he'd reasoned that he couldn't just hand it over just yet—he felt that he had to help the two Americans. After all, Leon set him free from that locked closet, and he felt very responsible for the result of what had happened to his village, his people, as a result of his own research. He felt he had to atone for it _somehow._ He decided that he'd hold on to the Plaga sample long enough to accomplish his goal. Once he found where the stash of medicine was, he'd report to Wesker, he'd tell her to find the researcher, hoped he found Leon to give him the meds—if the Plagas don't devour him first—and that'd be that. His part would be over. But he couldn't stop until he at least helped in some way of putting an end to all this mess.

_God, I could really use a cigarette. Today's just been a damn nightmare._

He found her sitting on top of a ladder, sitting high above a tangled, bloody mess of villagers—some women, some men, and various weapons scattered about the pit—knives, axes, even a couple of chainsaws. She looked at him, her face in a half smile, almost smirking, looking unblemished and calm as ever. He felt slightly relieved that she was still alive, but he did wonder how all these bodies happened to be here. He couldn't believe that she alone took them all out. Rather than ponder on the possible mechanics, he looked up at her.

"Hey, señorita!" Luis called, feeling his charisma start to rise. "Have a light? And some smokes to go with it to make my day?"

She brushed some of her black hair out of her face and leaped off the ladder, landing perfectly on her feet, not taking her eyes off him for a second.

"Where's the sample?" she asked bluntly.

_Damn, she means business._

He chuckled and walked closer. "Okay, we'll skip the foreplay."

She wasn't impressed.

"As a matter of fact," he continued, trying to maintain his suave act. "I was just on my way to go get it. It's back in the castle. Patience, señorita. Where's the love, baby?"

"Sounds like fun to me," She shot back sarcastically, her hands folded across her chest. "Just get going and hurry up."

"Okay, lady!" Luis said, relieved that she bought the deception. He walked past her, inhaling a whiff of delicious perfume that made his senses go wild. The scientist paused for a few seconds, enough to think up a few devious thoughts, then continued forward without saying a word. Before he stepped through the metal door, he turned around, saw her gaze locked on his, her expression unwavering, and asked her the question that had been on his mind since this began.

"Where do you stand in all of this? Exactly what kind of group are you working for?"

Her body seemed to relax, and she let out a sigh, her gaze looking thoughtfully into the distance. After what seemed like a minute or two, she looked at him again.

"There are some things that you're better of not knowing. This is one of them."

Luis sighed, her answer clearly not what he expected or wanted. He felt a twinge of anger inside as the words began to sink in.

"Fine," he began, his voice expressing a slight disgust. "I can take a hint. I don't care _who _you are, as long as you can get rid of that old man and his religious friends." Without another word, he turned around and walked into the doorway, slamming the metal door behind him.

_God damn it, she can be a bitch…_

_--- _

Finished loading up on a fresh stock of ammo, he looked at Ashley, who was waiting impatiently by the door, eager to get moving.

"All right, I'm coming."

Walking ahead of the young girl, he stepped out into the night, Ashley following close behind as they walked behind the cabin, seeing if there was a path to continue on. They were greeted by two large wooden gates, one to the left and one to the right. They had come to a fork in the path. Both gates were closed, and in between the two gates was a lever sticking straight up out of the ground. Attached was a system of gears, probably used to work the gears that raised the gates up.

_Looks like I've got to make a choice here about which way to go. All I pray is that either one leads to the same spot. Hmm…I'm right-handed, let's see what that does._

Walking over to the lever, he pulled the long metal rod to the right, and the sound of gears whirred to life as the wooden gate began to rise upward, the ropes and mechanics well hidden. The process took about thirty seconds, and finally it had been fully raised. The left one had remained shut, and it was most likely that moving the lever left would close the right one and open the left.

_Interesting system…only can use one path at a time. I wonder why…_

"Come on, Ashley, let's go," he said, motioning her to follow him as they ventured to the right and down a small incline to a set of double doors. The door led them to a clearing of sorts; a very wide open corridor with tall walls of stone surrounded them on all sides. This corridor stretched straight ahead for a couple hundred feet, and Leon could make out a single door at the end. Lining the sides of the large space were large metal carts, from the looks of them probably mining carts that had long since fallen into disuse, very old and rusty all over. Carved into the tall stone walls were a few wooden platforms, but nothing special. At the moment, it was all clear—no crazy villagers, no chainsaw wielding freaks, no ambush. Just nothing. Lit torches lined both sides of the corridor, allowing plenty of light to see where one was going.

Leon broke out into a jog, wanting quickly to make it to the other side, to take advantage of the current tranquility. Ashley followed suit and jogged as well, making sure to stay with Leon. They were on their way to escape now, and they were close, they could feel it. About a minute later, they had reached the far door on the other side of the corridor; Leon noticed that the door was wrapped three times around in chains, with a padlock tying it all together.

_Wow. I could shoot that off._

"Ashley, I'm gonna shoot the lock off—stand back." She positioned herself directly behind Leon, and he fired a shot, the bullet ricocheting off the metal as she heard the sounds of chain jangling.

_BOOM!_

The ground shook violently as something slammed hard against the earth, loud and very close by, catching the two of them off guard. Quickly, they spun around—

--and saw a massive creature stand at the entry from where they came in, a tall, thundering bulk of a monster, humanoid in structure, but far from human. It stood at least fifty feet tall, and almost as wide as the entire corridor itself. It had pale wrinkled skin, but every inch of it was bulging with veins and sickly arteries, and very long, thick, muscular arms and legs wide as tree trunks, easily capable of crushing in one blow. There was no fur or hair on the monster, completely bald, and stared at them angrily with two white, translucent eyes. It wore what could have amounted to a large pair of shorts, ripped in various places.

_Holy mother of fuck…!_

It opened its mouth wide, letting out a wild, deep roar, revealing several sharp, jagged teeth and releasing copious amounts of drool. This looked like the Incredible Hulk gone horribly wrong. Ashley let out an ear-splitting shriek of absolute terror. Leon stood paralyzed, his mind refusing to believe his eyes, very much like when he was formally introduced to the lake monster.

This was El Gigante.

----------

END OF CHAPTER SEVEN. Chapter Eight to be up shortly. Keep the reviews coming!


	9. Chapter Eight: The Eyes Have It

**Chapter Eight: The Eyes Have It**

_Well, this sucks. Looks kinda like one of Umbrella's old Tyrant monsters that simply wrong. Where the fuck did it come from? Did it just LEAP over the stone wall?_

Ashley let out another piercing shriek of terror, her mind and body completely paralyzed in fear. It wasn't going to do much good. The towering behemoth looked directly at them, its massive mouth opening wide again in another loud roar that shook the air.

_RUN!_

Last thing he wanted was to be crushed beneath this thing, so he quickly turned around and shot the padlock off, freeing the door from its obstructions. Before he could move further, the ground began to shake rhythmically, loud and clear thuds as the monster's massive bulky legs moved the body forward toward them fast, intent to kill. No way was this thing just going to just simply _capture _them, oh, no—Leon had every reason to believe that the monster wanted blood. The terrified girl looked frantically around as the monster broke out into a run, lowering its head as if it was a football player ready to sack someone, or in this case, just simply ram into the two puny people in comparison. They wouldn't have time to get through the door, as it'd crush them in two seconds.

_SHITSHITSHITSHIT--_

"Ashley, get out of the way NOW!" Leon ordered, his voice carrying over the terrific stamping noise. He grabbed his loaded shotgun, and just before the giant could deliver its crushing blow, the two dove out of the way just in time, diving to opposite sides of the wide corridor, feeling the rush of air blow past them as if a tractor trailer just blew by them. The giant creature stopped several feet past them, and Leon took the advantage of the few precious seconds and fired the gun, watching as the slug tore into the giant's muscular leg, ripping a hole into the thick flesh, blood beginning to pour out of the open wound. He fired another, and it found its mark, doing the same. The monster let out a roar of pain, and the two used the small time to get up and race back toward the door they entered from, sprinting as fast as their legs could propel them. Ashley managed to keep up with the agile Leon, whimpering and panting. When they reached the door they entered from, Leon pulled the handle—

--and suddenly realized to his surprise that the door didn't give. He pulled hard again, and then kicked the door in anger.

_FUCK! It's locked—but how?!_

"Leon, look!" Ashley yelled, pointing at the monster, her eyes wide in fear as the monster turned around, getting ready for another attack. It let out another primal roar of rage, then began to stomp toward them once again, determined not to miss again. Leon readied his shotgun, and as El Gigante lowered its head and ran at them again, he emptied the rest of the shotgun, draining the four remaining shells as they found their spots in its massive head and shoulders—but still, the monster kept coming, oblivious to the gunfire.

_No fucking way—_

"Move!" Leon yelled as Ashley screamed again, not hearing Leon's command or was too scared even to think. He grabbed her arm and almost threw her—she was that lightweight to him—to the ground, Leon following as the monster just missed them again, kicking up a gust of wind and dirt. Working quickly, he reached into his ammunition pouch and pulled out six shells and loaded the shotgun as fast as he could, dropping a couple in the process.

"Ashley, run to the other side—I'll slow this thing down!" he ordered. Ashley nodded, then quickly took off down the corridor. Turning so that he faced the creature's back, he noticed a large, deep gouge along the upper part of where its spine would be, blood and scar tissue surrounding the cut.

_A weak spot?_

He aimed the shotgun once again, but the monster began to turn around. The opportunity missed, he too broke out into a run toward the exit, Ashley already arriving there. Quickly, it began to stomp forward again. The amount of ground it covered with each thundering step would easily enable it to catch up to him quickly, and Leon knew it. The agent spun around—

--and dove through the creature's legs, hitting the dirt as the figure's shadow washed over Leon briefly. Whether it noticed or not, it made no motion to turn around and try to catch him, instead, it kept charging toward Ashley, now alone and scared shitless. Unless Leon did something, she was dead.

"Help me, Leon!" she screamed shrilly, her voice grating and rough on the ears.

_Don't worry, Ashley…_

Now behind the creature, he aimed his gun and fixed his gaze on the creature's open wound, then opened fire, two blasts of gunfire ripping through the air. The hot slugs ripped into the wet tissue, and suddenly the creature did something neither of them expected. It stumbled forward clumsily, bringing its massive hands up to its head and screaming in pain, writhing as if something inside was trying to break free.

_Did I get it?_

It stopped dead in its tracks, its face contorted in an expression of pure pain as something began to burst out of its large gash. A large, thick, slimy appendage came out of the bloody tear, purple and slimy, with several large tendrils sprouting out from various spots.

_Oh…one of those…_

Instantly, Leon realized that this monster too contained a similar parasite, maybe even the same one that some of the villagers seemed to carry. And if it was…an idea came to Leon's head. He reached down to his hip belt, intent on grabbing a flashbang grenade, but before he could snatch it, the creature fell to its knees, obviously in searing pain.

_Weak spot, indeed…_

The creature was low enough for Leon to feasibly climb up and do some damage to the ugly aberration. It was worth a shot. He took a running start, then leapt up onto the creature's back. He pulled his knife out from its sheath and began slashing at the parasitic growth furiously, ripping bits of skin and slimy tentacles, and he thought he could hear the thing actually gurgle as it was being slashed. He kept at it for about ten seconds, then he could feel the creature beginning to move again. Quickly, he jumped off its large back, and the tentacle-laden growth receded back into the tissues and muscles beneath the pale skin of the giant.

Ashley took advantage and ran beneath the Gigante's large form and met up with Leon as it rose to its feet, still clutching its huge head.

"Look up above you, Leon!" she said, pointing at a spot high up on the stone wall to their left. She spotted a large wooden platform, and sitting on top of it was a large boulder that Leon had missed when they looked around the area.

A smile crossed Leon's sweaty, dirt-smeared face as the obvious idea popped into his head.

"Good job," he said. "Let's get back to the entrance." No sooner did they begin running back toward the entrance did the monster let out another deep bellow, sounding much louder and stronger than before.

_Yeah, he's pissed._

The monster's pale white eyes glared at them, and Leon could sense the sheer anger pouring out of them along with the blood coursing from its shotgun wounds. It began walking toward them once again, and Leon looked up at the wooden platform on which the boulder rested.

_Let's see…it's supported by three wooden supports which look flimsy…surprised the thing hasn't collapsed yet. If I took out the middle, the weight would cause the thing to collapse. Hopefully, I can pull this off…_

His heart starting to quicken its pace again, the agent pulled out his handgun and hoped that his timing was right. The handgun was equipped with a bright red laser sight, which Leon hoped would help him here.

_God, this has to be perfect._

He brought the gun to his face, aimed, and rested his finger on the trigger, watching the red dot as it trailed up the rock face. He didn't have much time—the giant creature would get to them in just a few seconds.

"Leon…" Ashley said cautiously, her voice becoming tinged with fear as the Gigante loomed closer.

Leon's heart was thumping loudly in his chest, the echo rivaling the loud thudding with each heavy step closer. The creature was just about to pass the platform when Leon fired several shots into the air, hoping that they hit the center and most important of the three supports. To his surprise, he heard the wood crack, which was enough as gravity began to do its work. The shift in weight became too much for the other supports to bear, and in a loud torrent of sound, the platform broke clean off the rock wall, and suddenly the boulder began to move, splintering what was left of the platform as it barreled down the rock face, picking up speed as it roared downward. Distracted by the new sound, the Gigante turned his head in the direction of the sound—

--and was hit full in the face by the massive rock, and suddenly the creature's bulk became one with the boulder as the speed and weight knocked the creature down to the ground, crushing the thing beneath its enormous weight. They could hear the sounds of bones cracking, its head and all its contents becoming a sick mess of blood, bones, and skin. It happened so quickly that the creature didn't even have time to react or even scream in agony—its head was buried beneath several tons of hard stone. The boulder came to a rest in the center of the corridor, leaving enough space around both it and the collapsed monster to go around. The whole thing took about twenty seconds, tops, leaving a stunned pair of Americans in awe at what just happened. Silence settled over the area once again.

"Wow," Leon said aloud. "Did I really just do that?" He was greeted by a sudden hug, a pair of arms wrapped around his waist, catching him off guard as he stumbled back a couple steps. "Whoa, girl! Easy there."

"Thank you," she said softly. "Thank you very much."

He stood there for a few seconds more, feeling his heart beginning to return to normal once again, then reciprocated by putting his arms around Ashley, a small smile once again returning to his face.

"No problem," he said after a few seconds. "It's part of my job." She let go of him, then adjusted herself. Leon checked his ammo, the danger passed—for now. Hopefully, he wouldn't run into any more of these things.

_Saddler, when I find you…_

Finished with his reloading, he began to walk toward the exit, now more eager to get the hell out of this death trap, but wanting more and more to wring Saddler's throat.

A few minutes later, the two Americans came out upon a large, wide open clearing, quite windy now that they were not surrounded by stone walls. A small stone building was to their right, the door itself hanging off one rusty hinge. In the distance was a large, elaborately decorated gate. To their left…nothing. They were walking on a cliff, and only the abyss remained. As the path went up a small hill, the large gate loomed closer, and a path branched off to the left of the gate that went up a set of stairs and onto further unknown territory. A bridge lined another branch, leading to a set of open double doors that looked like someone shot through. Leon chuckled.

_Probably the path that was to the left behind that cabin…how much do you wanna bet that _that_ path was clear of any danger? It would be my rotten luck…_

As they arrived at the gate, Leon looked for a handle or something to pull the gate open.

_Probably the way out of here…if the guys at Intelligence were right, anyway._

However, after looking all around, there were no handles to push or pull, no levers, clasps…nothing. Not even a keyhole or a place to put an object. He tried pushing the double doors, and it yielded nothing. It didn't budge an inch. He did notice, however, a small orange light in the center, the device looking strangely familiar to Leon.

_A retinal scanner? No way, it couldn't be—they're not smart enough for that! _

"What's wrong, Leon?" Ashley asked, her face looking puzzled.

"Door's locked," he replied, sighing. "If this is indeed the way out, they sure make it tough, alright."

She didn't like that answer, judging by the look on her face. She sighed.

"There's a path to the left of here—perhaps it's another way. There's gotta be another way out of here. And we're not going to get any further by standing here."

Ashley just looked at him, her expression possibly one of annoyance. Apparently, she wasn't used to having things not go her way. Living with politics and coming from money did that, apparently. Instant gratification wasn't going to win today.

"We've got no other choice," he said firmly. "Unless, of course, you'd like to go back."

"Fine," she said abruptly.

"Let's go, then."

He walked ahead to the left, with the frustrated girl following close behind him as they walked up a set of metal stairs. A new sound was coming to their ears as they ventured further down the path—the sounds of operating machinery.

_Hmm?_

The sound grew louder as they got closer to the source, and as they turned a corner, there they saw the source of the mechanical noises. It was a large, open-air metal structure which simply served as a landing to what looked like a ski lift, or the same principle, anyway. The noise that they were hearing was the sound of the moving gears working as the cars of the lift moved.

_A fully functioning, operating lift? Here? In the middle of nowhere? What for? Where does it lead?_

As they got onto the landing, Leon noticed that the lift went in a downhill direction toward the other side of the chasm. They were left with little choice if they wanted to proceed further.

_Looks stable, anyway._

"Wanna lift?" He asked as the next car came around the bend. Without a word, both jumped onto the car, and the two of them took seats on opposite sides of the car. The ride itself would take a few minutes, as the gap between lands was pretty wide. If anyone fell off here, it was a very long, long way down.

_Might as well sit back and enjoy the small break while we can…_

At the end of the ride, they found themselves getting off near what could have been a control tower for the lift--it had long since been abandoned, its large glass window broken and shattered in places. He didn't bother going inside to investigate--there was nothing of interest, anyway. A set of stairs went down, and he simply kept going with Ashley behind. What else could they do? He simply hoped that he could find another way out of the village, or if he had to, get something to force that village exit door open. However, he hoped that he wouldn't have to go through life-threatening work just to get a door open again. One lake monster was enough for one lifetime. Already, he'd experienced battles with creatures that defied all laws of reality, and the similarities to Raccoon City were starting to pile up.

He had started to adopt a "been there, done that" mindset during this mission. Even though he still had a very important job to do, he was battle-hardened. Leon Kennedy had come a long way from being a new rookie cop, fresh out of training and heading to Raccoon City for his first day on the force...and being greeted with one hell of a welcome. He certainly had no idea that his first day on the job would ever be so difficult. Now here he was. Admittedly, he was still a bit curious as to the events unfolding tonight--mostly centering on possible connections to the former pharmaceutical company, Umbrella.

Even though Umbrella had officially been shut down by the United States government, he couldn't bring himself to believe that all the company's activities, ethical and unethical, moral and immoral, had ended with it. After all, no one knew about Umbrella's bio-weapons research, the T- and G- viruses, high-ranking men like Albert Wesker, William Birkin and the like...until the virus was unleashed by accident in Raccoon City. Just how long had they been working on that? Many, many years, and they hid it very well, even going so far as to kill off anyone suspected of going public. Leon had suspected that the company had gone underground and was trying to revive itself, but he didn't have any proof to back it up--his opinion was shared by many who were involved in the incident. Perhaps the creatures he had encountered so far were created by genetic experiments similar to what Umbrella had done with its Tyrant series. Somehow, he thought that Luis knew much more than what he was willing to let on.

But before he could continue with this train of thought, he and Ashley had descended the stairs and found themselves by a gate that was already open. The wind was blowing hard for the moment, the sky itself still overcast. At least the rain had stopped for the moment. After passing through the gate, the path narrowed and they found themselves surrounded in a small dark patch of forest, the only source of light coming from Leon's bright light. The soft dirt path went down a small hill as they navigated deeper into unknown territory; the only sounds that could be heard were the sounds of their breathing. Several hundred feet later, they found themselves upon a clearing, a sole large structure coming into view. It didn't look like a house, judging from a set of metal, rusted double doors.

_Hmm...wonder what a lone building is doing out here? Possibly another place of worship, a makeshift church?_

As they got closer, Leon guessed that the building might have been a warehouse of sorts, just judging from its side and structure. Several large metal bins lined one side of the building, and with each step, he couldn't help but feel a growing premonition creep inside him--something wasn't right. It was quiet--way too quiet. Somehow, he felt that something or _someone_ was inside. Out of instinct, he stopped and checked his weapons again. They stopped just a few feet short of the door, and Ashley looked at him funnily.

"Something doesn't feel right. You better stay outside--hide," Leon said in a low, firm voice, raising his handgun. Ashley was only too willing to oblige--if he sensed danger, she wanted to be as far away from it as possible. Leon watched her as she nodded her acknowledgement, then ran around the corner and into one of the rusted metal bins, where she climbed in and slowly closed the heavy lid so as to not attract any noise. He slowly opened the door and crept inside. It was dark, absolutely no light coming in except for some holes in the walls that let in any natural light.

The building was a derelict. Equipment and various tools lied in disarray all over the floor. It was a large structure, and confirmed that it was a storage building of some kind. Small areas of the first floor were boarded and sealed off, and through the cracks, Leon made out what was probably a furnace. Next to the furnace was a metal barrel, possibly an oil drum. He shined his light on the barrel and in faded white letters, made out the word "fuel." Boxes and sandbags were stacked in piles in and about the place, while huge, long heavy metal chains hung from several of the beams that spanned across the building, all the way up to its high ceiling. Several large wheeled carts stood still along the far wall, and inside, stacked to almost overflowing were crates and boxes. In the darkness, he could make out a ladder at the far end that led up to a second story, with more of the same equipment. He noticed a second drum of fuel in a corner of the first floor.

_Nothing here..._

He took several slow steps forward, cautious and on his guard. He couldn't shake the fact that something was about to happen, and he would've liked nothing more than to be proven wrong, get Ashley, and continue forward. A creaking noise from somewhere to his left caused him to stop and turn in the direction of the sound. His light scanned the spot where the sound originated--and again, nothing.

_Just nothing, Leon...it's empty. Get out and continue on._

Before he was finished, he scanned the building just once more, to make absolutely sure that there was nothing. His heart was beating quickly, the place giving him the creeps. However, there was absolutely nothing out of the ordinary. His curiosity satisfied, he holstered his gun, and he turned around and headed back in the direction he came--

--when standing directly in his path was the tall, menacing figure in the black trench coat, the very same man whom he had a run in before back in his residence. His gaze pierced straight into Leon's brain, a look of utter disgust and anger.

_Oh, Christ, not you again--_

The towering chief took one step toward Leon and gripped him hard around the neck, his thick, cold and clammy fingers tightening themselves around the stunned American, and immediately Leon grasped at the man's firm hand, trying to pry they fingers from their vise-like hold.

_Not again!_

Starting to gag from the lack of oxygen, he felt himself being lifted off the ground, higher and higher until he was eye level with the Chief himself, and Mendez had a look of pure evil as he squeezed harder. The crazed Chief glared at him with murderous eyes, one red and one blue, then pulled his arm back and thrust forward, releasing the agent and sending him flying through the air with unusual speed. His back hit a low hanging beam, sending a wave of pain up his back as he could feel several of his bones cracking, but not breaking. His body hit the cold ground like a rag doll, and he found himself coughing and gasping for air, the grip on his neck released. The imposing man turned around and walked back to the door, and with his inhuman strength, he took the door handles in each hand, then proceeded to bend and twist them together as if the metal was clay.

_I'm not gonna get him--he's gonna kill me._

Mendez turned around and towered over the sputtering agent, then took one slow step toward him, then another, ready to finish the job, ready to kill the American and remove the thorn in this whole mess. Same blood or not, Mendez wanted nothing more than to put the stupid American out of his misery. He balled up one massive hand into a fist, then in one fluid motion began to bring his fist down, aiming straight for Leon's face--

_Not today!_

With a burst of energy, Leon rolled out of the way just in time as the iron fist slammed the concrete floor, the sheer force causing the stone around the fist to visibly crack.

_Damn, that would've been my head!_

Leon found himself behind a barrel of the fuel, and an idea came to his head. Surely it had to work. Still on the ground, he kicked the fuel can over, and clear liquid began to pour out of it, quickly pooling around the feet of Mendez. His tall frame stood up and turned toward Leon, who had his gun drawn and aimed at the ground.

"Hasta luego," was all Leon said before he fired his handgun. The bullet struck the concrete where some of the fuel had formed a puddle around Mendez, the friction creating a couple of sparks--enough to ignite the flammable liquid, and suddenly, a streak of bright orange flame engulfed the big cheese, and quickly began to ignite the fuel leading up to the barrel. Leon knew what was coming next, and he got to his feet and ran toward the back of the building. A second later, a loud explosion rocked the structure, sending metal and live, lit combustible liquid all throughout the first floor, forcing Leon to dive out of the way, hitting the ground hard. Several wooden planks fell from the ceiling. He stood up quickly, turning behind him, expecting to see the splayed bits of the former Mendez, reduced to nothing but flaming body parts.

Despite the massive explosion which by all rights would've killed anyone--_ANYONE_--there he was, still standing, his trench coat now gone, his skin slightly charred, but still very much alive. And pissed.

_WHAT THE FUCK!?! HE SHOULD BE DISINTEGRATED! No one could've survived a direct explosion like that!_

He stared at the seemingly invincible man in complete shock, amazed and pissed at the same time. A smirk played across Mendez's face, and he let out a retaliatory roar of anger as he began to change in front of Leon's eyes. His fingers began to grow longer and more slender, and then a long, thin spike shot out of the ends of each finger, making both hands more lethal than they already were.

_No, this can't be happening..._

Still staring at Leon, two long, red thick tentacles shot out of Mendez's back, wet and slimy as the tissues grew with slick, disgusting sloppy noises. The tentacles grew long enough so that they could grab from many feet away, and during the transformation, each tentacle sprouted a long, sharp claw at the end, becoming piercing appendages and highly dangerous.

_God, this really IS Raccoon City all over again..._

Seconds later, Mendez's body split at the waist, and in its place, a segmented body began to form, sprouting small appendages like legs as the upper body remained connected to the upper end. The legs and feet remained connected to the segmented body, and Mendez began to resemble a towering, giant centipede.

_What the hell..._

The whole transformation took about a minute, and what was once the tall, menacing figure was no more, now given way to this monstrosity which began to walk toward Leon, letting out a feral roar in the process. Without wasting another second, Leon aimed his loaded shotgun and fired into the segmented body; hoping to split the body into two, or at the very least, weaken it.

_I just hope I have enough ammo..._

_--- _

Her heart beat double time as it was, what with Leon exploring the building. She was extremely uncomfortable being away from Leon--even though that she was away from him for only a couple of minutes, she immediately felt vulnerable, more so than the two of them already were, what with crazed people and villagers running amuck trying to kill them. Sitting inside the empty bin, she could hear noise coming from inside, loud thudding and banging noises, which did nothing to ease her nervous state.

_Come on, Leon...I'm scared. Let's go..._

A few seconds later, she heard the sounds of something being knocked over, and some dialogue that she couldn't make out. The solitude inside the dark enclosure was not what she wanted, but she was hiding from whatever Leon was busy dealing with--and praying that he came out alive. If he got killed--she didn't progress any more with that train of thought, visibly shuddering at the notion. She was shivering--out of fear or out of the fact that the night was cold she didn't know. All she knew was right here, right now, this moment. She wanted to go home. For the moment, she could settle for a protective arm, and Leon was currently providing that. She had to admit, he did look quite attractive to her, and even though now was clearly not the time to think about men in any type of sexual manner, she had to concede that perhaps this was all over, she could get to know him a bit more.

_He's probably taken, though...and he's probably some years older than I am..._

On the other hand, however, physical attractiveness aside, she was in some small, almost but not quite subconscious way, hoping he wouldn't make it out alive. While he did take her away from that cold cell in that church, he still was a complete stranger to her. She felt a little reluctant to trust him fully, and still had her doubts about him. What if he wasn't sent by her father? What if this was just another man hired by that crazy religious freak to take her directly to him? He may have been playing the part of her rescuer, but what if it was all just a trick? She didn't know what to believe, who to trust anymore. Everyone was questionable, and always untrustworthy, at least from the start. It was a trait instilled by her political and current President father, always to be independent, never trust anyone, for it would be the people you trust who stabbed you in the back. That was the nature of politics, as it were, and having been brought up with parents who at least, for as long as she'd been alive, always were involved with politics and the harsh climate that was…it rubbed off a bit on her. Always be the opportunist, take what you can get, the ends justify the means, always look out for only yourself…that was what Ashley was modeled on. Right now, though, most of her was hoping for Leon's survival—if he was really sent by her father, she did not want to be left alone. Again. Here. In this horrible nightmare.

A loud, violent explosion brought her right back to this cold reality, and the sudden invasion, violent perversion of the night caught her severely off-guard, and she screamed, her heart seeming to leap into her throat. It was a scream of panic, of outright fear, and instantly, her mind feared the worst.

_LEON!!!!_

She wanted to jump out of hiding, to run inside the run-down building and see what the hell just happened, but to do so would probably be suicide--what if Leon just fell into a trap, or an ambush? They'd snatch her and that'd be it--forever. She opened up the lid of the bin and poked her head outside to see anything. She heard the sounds of fire crackling and could see smoke starting to come out of the cracks of the broken wooden paneling.

_Leon..._

Shotgun blasts tore through the air several seconds later, and suddenly, she felt a huge wave of relief wash over her, calming her just slightly.

_Oh, thank God..._

She ducked her head back down and closed the lid, leaving her in darkness once again.

---

The Mendez monster shot one of its clawed, long tentacles forward, and Leon dodged out of the way, missing the projectile by a foot. As the monster pulled its red, slimy tentacle back, Leon ran by him and made for the far wall where the ladder was. He was out of shotgun shells and needed to reload, and he began to climb up the metal rungs, his sweaty hands struggling to grip the rungs. Mendez turned around when he reached the second story, and quickly, he went into his ammo pouch and felt around, realizing that his shotgun shell supply was getting low--he had about ten shells left. He didn't realize that the supply was getting so low, but he realized that he spent much of his ammo on the giant monster not too long ago.

The monster was coming at him slowly, but Leon had no time to relax. Quickly, he slammed five shells into his gun and checked the floor for anything that could help him. The torso of the creature was now below him, and the fire was spreading fast. Leon knew he couldn't stay here for too much longer before the whole thing would collapse, sending Leon to a very fiery death. If Mendez survived a fuel container explosion, fire would be no problem.

Sitting next to one of the large carts was a second fuel canister, and he hoped that this would do _something_--he was low on ammo, and he needed anything to conserve what little ammunition he had left. He couldn't go back to the cabin and get more rounds--it was way too dangerous. From his position, he was close enough to get a handgun round on the barrel. The creature stumbled closer, and Leon aimed his pistol at the flammable container, and as soon as the monster walked within distance, Leon fired two rounds into the barrel and ducked for cover, and another massive deafening explosion rocked the building, sending a torrent of liquid fire everywhere, causing wood and twisted metal to fly everywhere. A beam broke off from above from the immense vibration and hurtled to the ground with a loud crash.

The explosion tore through the segmented body of Mendez, rendering him in two, splitting his body at the waist, the sharp shrapnel embedding into his body. Leon rose to his feet just in time to see the two bloody halves of the monster crawl along the ground, the legs still moving as if they were very much alive while blood poured from the bottom half of Mendez. However, he recovered quickly and with his two long extra appendages, he wrapped them around a low hanging beam and pulled himself up.

_Jesus fucking Christ! He's STILL not dead?!_

Using his body to gain momentum, he swung himself up higher and higher toward the ceiling, using the support beams as monkey bars. His increased mobility would make it harder for Leon to get a shot off, and with no other fuel barrels, he'd have to rely on whatever he had left to get through this mess. Now it was becoming personal--after Mendez had nearly killed him twice, and survived two direct explosions, Leon just couldn't retreat--the bastard was going to die, or Leon would die trying. He could almost hear Mendez laugh at him--those explosions would've done in anyone else--he had to be weak to something. While Leon watched him swing around, an idea came to his mind, and the idea came to him with so much force that he nearly kicked himself for not thinking of it before.

_The flashbang grenades! Why the hell didn't I think of that earlier?_

Another chunk of wood crashed down to the ground. The temperature was becoming hotter and hotter, getting near the point of stifling. Leon was sweating profusely, and by now, fire had nearly engulfed the entire building. He had another couple of minutes at most before the heat would become too much for him to bear.

_If his mutation is caused by the same parasite as the villagers..._

He did have some doubt, however--if two direct explosions hadn't done anything, he wasn't sure of the validity of this idea. He had to try, though. Mendez dropped to the lower beams, eye level with Leon, who still remained on the walkway that made up the second level. Leon jumped off the second level and landed back on the concrete floor, knowing that Mendez couldn't jump off the beam--his legs had collapsed in a heap and had begun to catch flame. He took another of the blue flashbangs from his belt, pulled the pin and shielded his eyes. He hurled it at the hanging monster, which was followed by a small burst, and the entire building filled with the white light that blinded anyone near it. Simultaneously, a gurgling sound came out from the dangling Mendez, and Leon heard a loud thud as its body hit the concrete floor.

_YES!_

As soon as the light reduced itself to a tolerable level, he grabbed his shotgun and ran toward the fallen creature, then opened fire at point-blank range, the barrel of the gun only a couple of feet away from its head. He fired all five shells, draining the weapon as each hot slug ripped into the face of the tentacled aberration, ripping massive chunks of skull and skin and sending blood flying in all directions. Each shot felt like a release for Leon, and finally he was getting the upper hand on Mendez. It took the five shells to do so, but finally, the monster formerly known as Bitores Mendez flailed his arms, gurgling and gasping as he reached out towards Leon in an attempt to get one final blow, but it wasn't meant to be. Shot full of holes, he attempted one last lunge, but Leon easily moved back while he sputtered, coughing up dark, viscous fluid until finally, he collapsed to the cement floor in a pile of his own coagulating blood.

Bitores Mendez was finally, at last, dead.

Leon sat there for a few moments, breathing heavily, his face covered in sweat and dirt, still holding the empty shotgun at the creature's head. He certainly wasn't moving.

_Thank fucking god..._

Seconds later, something fell out of the mangled monster's face with an audible clunk, a round red object that rolled itself a few inches toward Leon.

_Nice. One of its eyes fell out._

He kneeled down and picked up the object, still warm, slick and slimy, covered in clear goo. It was Mendez's one red eye, which, after Leon checked it out, was a false eye made of a hard material, possibly marble or glass. Despite the macabre ambience surrounding the false eye, Leon decided he would keep it. Perhaps it would serve a function, and if not, he'd keep it as a souvenir, a memento of the battle, and who was ultimately victorious.

_You're not gonna mess with me ever again, bastard..._

By now, flame had completely engulfed the building, and now he needed to get out--fast. As he looked around for an exit, since the way he came in was now impossible, another beam, fully engulfed in hot, orange flame came crashing down to the ground with a loud, terrific noise.

_I need to get out now!_

As if on cue, a section of wall fell apart, the fire eating away at the wall to reveal a large enough hole for Leon to exit from. Wasting no time, he ran out the newly-created exit and out into the cold night air, ever grateful to be out of the intensifying inferno, the frigid night cooling his hot, sweaty skin. Ashley opened the lid of her metal enclosure and looked at Leon, saw the fatigued man walking toward her, his uniform drenched in sweat, his hair matted down. He looked a mess. She climbed out of the bin and onto the ground, her face showing genuine concern for her protector.

"Are you okay, Leon?" she asked.

He nodded his acknowledgement, then motioned for her to follow him. Leon had a hunch about that eye.

Several minutes later, back at the gate which was the village exit, Leon took out the false eye that he obtained from the bloody corpse of the former village chief and held it in front of the small orange light that shone from the center of the gate, the pupil staring into the light. A second later, a loud audible click was heard as the sound of a lock released. Leon sighed, a sigh of relief, but also one of annoyance.

_Way too much work for all this...god, I need a break._

Ashley smiled as Leon opened the door--finally, they were getting out of the village, and hopefully out of here and homeward bound. They found themselves in woods again, the path going uphill. They jogged up the small incline, and once at the top, they found themselves at a scenic overview of what lied ahead of them, and it wasn't an extraction point. Up ahead was a large castle--no two ways about it. It was as if they had walked into medieval Europe. The only visible castle entry was via what looked like a bridge that led to an open portcullis. They slowed down their jog and eventually stopped at the top of the hill, just staring at what was coming up. Hopefully, their problems were behind them.

_Jeez, how far is the extraction point?_

_CRASH!!!_

The two of them spun around in the direction of the sound and saw the village gate burst open, and pouring out of the gate and charging up the hill was a massive horde of villagers, one big, moving mass with flaming torches running toward them, all of them angry and screaming obscenities.

"Damn it!" Ashley yelled aloud, taking the words right out of Leon's mouth. There was only one way to go--into the castle, and Leon had absolutely no firepower to deal with the oncoming wave of men and women, most of them armed. This was one of those times where running away was the best.

_Across the bridge--there has to be something to raise it!_

"Come on! To the other side of that bridge!" Leon yelled, grabbing Ashley's arm and running toward the bridge, catching her off-guard and startling her. Both Americans ran as fast as they could across the wooden bridge, and when they reached the end, they saw two cranks--one on either side of the bridge. The villagers had reached the top of the hill and were getting close to the bridge. Time was not on their side, and they had to work fast.

"You take that crank over there," he ordered, pointing the other crank to Ashley. When she did, she looked at Leon for further instruction.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Yeah."

"Go!"

Both of them turned the cranks, and the mechanisms controlling the chains that moved the bridge began to pull upward, taking the large bridge with it, effectively cutting off the villagers' attempted onslaught by blocking off the only point of entry. They didn't stopped cranking until the bridge rose fully, and when it was over, they had finally escaped the village, but more importantly, made it out alive.

There was no turning back.

---

END OF CHAPTER EIGHT. They're finally out of the village and onto Salazar's castle. Now we're a third through the game, it would seem. Chapter Nine to be up in a few days, I'd imagine. Reviews are welcome.


	10. Chapter Nine: The Eighth Castellan

**Chapter Nine: The Eighth Castellan**

_I have confirmation that Sera has entered the castle. Why he would return during his escape leaves me to question his motives...but we must seize this moment and capture him. We will get the other two Americans after we apprehend Sera. It appears he took some vaccines when he stole our "sample". The vaccines we can do without, but we must retrieve the "sample" for it is our life blood. I feel there is somebody else or some other group involved in this whole affair. If the "sample" were to get into the hands of the other entity, the world which we seek to create will not come. We must apprehend Sera as quickly as possible._

_--- _

Luis Sera found himself back in the cavernous hall that was the formal entrance to the castle's interior, his heart pounding, gasping for breath. He stopped in the center of the large hall and rested his body against a pillar for a minute or two to let the panic subside--he had just barely escaped the Novistadors, a group of large, wild beasts that resembled winged insects with legs and arms. He had been out of the sewers for about twenty minutes, but his panic drove him to keep running away. He also knew that the young Salazar was somewhere about, which meant his two Verdugos were also somewhere. Luis knew those, helped to create them, and did _not_, under any circumstances, want to run into them. Sick and deformed, they were just part of another pet project created by Saddler using Las Plagas. They were a creature that the scientist never knew about, probably very recently created by the cult leader. He had known that Saddler had several plans for further experiments using the helpless villagers and the Plagas, including several different types of creatures called Novistadors, but didn't think even Saddler had the nerve to go ahead with something this twisted using his own people--doing horrible genetic mutations of human and Plaga DNA and creating the monsters he just encountered in the underground sewer system of the castle.

"Ay yi yi," Luis said aloud to himself, the memory still fresh in his mind. From what he could ascertain from his run in with the Novistadors, and if he remembered the research and hypotheses correctly, there were three different variations. All of these creatures, however, had great strength and were quite agile--the recombination of the two different DNA strands contributed to this. Saddler was a brilliant scientist as well as a raving lunatic, and figured out the best combination of allelic pairs, right down to the chromosomal level, to create a large, winged creature that possessed the qualities of agility, quick flight, and strength. One such mutation even allowed the newly formed creatures to spit a venomous, viscous acidic substance as an attack or defense mechanism which could peel human skin right off, or at the very least, leave a very nasty burn. Another strain of Novistador contained a further mutation which employed the skilled use of camouflage to blend in easily with its surroundings, much like a chameleon, making it that much more dangerous. The consequence of any of these mutations was that the creatures would have poor sight, but excellent hearing. They could communicate with each other using various frequencies, much in the way insects did.

Regardless, he'd escaped them and had the medicine in his possession again. Now all he had to do was find Leon and Ashley, give them the meds and also some info to tell them how to get out of here, then he could go fork over the sample to that lady, and he'd be all set to escape. He could walk away from this and live a new life, leaving this town and his mess behind, start anew, turn over a new leaf. Maybe find a woman and settle, who knows? He had missed the pleasure of a fine woman's company, the smell of her perfume, the camaraderie, and also, the sex--the pleasure of being buried deep inside a beautiful lady, exploring her inside and out. Somehow, he didn't think he'd have any luck with the lady in red, though.

Feeling his body return to normal, he decided he'd get going in a couple of minutes. He assumed that Leon and Ashley had to be out of the village by now--surely, the two of them had followed close behind him after he left the cabin, surely. He even left the exit open for them, unless someone closed it after he'd gone through. And even though he was enjoying the few minutes of tranquility, this was the main hall. Someone was bound to go through here soon--and he didn't really feel like seeing Saddler or the young Salazar. As much as he wanted to sit and really, have a nice long siesta, he knew he had to keep going. Knowing that both Americans were currently carriers of the Plagas, he'd have to work fast and get the meds to them before the eggs hatched, or if they did, before they grew to full maturity. If the eggs did hatch, all the meds would do is just slow the parasites down, and the only way they could be removed is via laser radiation surgery, which was a very painful process and had a significant chance that the patient wouldn't survive the procedure. However, it was better than being totally under the control of the Plagas, which meant under the control of Osmund Saddler.

Death was better than that.

---

The two found themselves sitting at a wooden table on the second floor in what appeared to be a small armory, where several stands along the stone wall contained long, double edged axes and spears standing neatly each of the recesses. The room itself was well lit, although wherever the light was coming from, Leon didn't know. Small tapestries hung off the wall in several places, as well as a few different color spears with varying patterns. Here, the two of them were taking a breather. They had been moving quickly throughout the beginning of the castle entrance, and even though they had escaped the village and the crazed people that inhabited it, they simply jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire. Shortly after, they were introduced to some of the castle's inhabitants—men in plain black religious robes and hoods covering their pale white faces. Some of them had red face paint, possibly to indicate rank. There were only a few of them, but Leon knew that they weren't out of the woods yet. As long as Saddler lived, he had a sneaking suspicion that it was going to get worse before it got any better. He didn't mention his thoughts to Ashley, for he didn't want to worry her enough as she already was; not to mention that they had most likely veered off the course toward the extraction point.

Ashley wanted a small break to catch her breath, and felt safe enough surrounded by weaponry to take a few minutes to relax. Leon could hear her stomach grumbling. He wasn't hungry, but he reached into a pocket and pulled out another of the nourishment bars he'd been given and showed it to Ashley.

"Hungry?" he asked, removing the foil wrapper.

"What's that?" she asked, hesitantly.

"Energy bar," Leon replied. "Gives you some energy and eases your hunger. Endurance food. Not very yummy, but it does serve its purpose. Want some?"

Reluctantly, she nodded, put out her hand, and he handed it over. She grabbed it out of his hands and began to wolf down the bar quickly. Apparently they hadn't given her food, or if they had, not for a while.

"This is disgusting," Ashley commented, then took another bite of the ration.

He chuckled. "It's that or nothing. And you need your strength. Something tells me we have a long way to go yet."

Ashley didn't say a thing more on the subject, and after she finished the food, if it could be called that, without a word, they got up and headed toward the only door to the next part of the castle.

Opening the door found themselves back outside on a small clearing, with a path branching off to the right. Ahead, the path led straight ahead, then hung a left and off to somewhere else. They took a few steps, and found that the path to their right led to a large set of double doors, and to their complete surprise—and much to Leon's relief, they saw the figure of Luis Sera walking toward them, casually, as if nothing was going on.

"Luis!" Leon called out.

Luis picked up his head and saw the two of them standing there, and his eyes grew wide, a smile spreading across his face. Ashley looked at him with a look of utter disgust, her mind remembering his sexist comments a while ago. She hadn't forgiven him for that.

"Hey, Leon!" he called back, waving and walking quickly over to them. "I've got something for you guys!" He felt his pockets, then reached into them and searched for whatever it was he was to give them. After a few seconds, his face went from glad to pissed—whatever it was, it was important.

"Oh, shit!" He swore angrily, feeling his blood starting to boil. "I must have dropped it when I was running away from those things…"

"Dropped what?" Ashley cut in, curious.

"A drug that will stop your convulsions," Luis replied, his expression serious. "Look, I know you guys are carriers. You've been coughing up blood, have you not?"

Leon paused, then bowed his head. "Yeah."

Luis looked over at Ashley. "And you?"

Ashley nodded.

"Damn it!" the scientist said through gritted teeth. "The eggs have hatched. We don't have much time."

Now it was Leon's turn to look confused. "What are you talking about?"

Either Luis ignored him or didn't hear the question as he turned around and began to walk toward the double doors from which he came. "I have to go back and get it."

Ashley took a few steps ahead and cut him off, her mind seeing an opportunity to get away from Leon, and closer to the drugs which she knew this man could bring. "Let me come with you," she said, a note of enthusiasm in her voice.

Luis turned to face Ashley. "No, you stay here with Leon. He is better with the ladies, I'm sure." With that, he turned again and began to walk. Ashley slumped, feeling a little disappointed.

A few seconds went by, then Leon broke the silence. "Why are you—"

"It makes me feel better," Luis cut in over the agent. "Let's just leave it at that."

Leon had an urge to pursue him in order to get more information, now that he was thoroughly confused. Before he could, his radio beeped, Hunnigan most likely calling in.

_She has the worst timing sometimes…_

Her face once again appeared on the visual radio, her expression firm and serious, much like the last contact transmission.

"Leon, what's your current location?"

"We decided to lay low in a castle, but it looks like it may have been a bad move."

"Meaning?"

"Well, it appears that this castle is also connected with the Los Illuminados. They must not get too many visitors here, because they've already given me a nice warm welcome."  
She frowned. "Sounds bad, Leon. I have an idea. I need you to—"

Suddenly, her picture and her voice became wobbly and distorted as wavy lines cut into the feed, which then gave way into nothing but static and white noise.

"What? Repeat, Hunnigan."

No response. She had been cut off.

"Great. Just my luck," Leon said sarcastically, then put the radio back in its case.

"Anything?" Ashley asked.

"No, she got cut off. We'll try again in a little bit. Probably not a good signal here, being surrounded by thick stone and concrete. In the meantime, let's follow Luis."

Luis had already gone back into the castle by the time the radio transmission ended. Hoping they'd catch up, they ran down the walkway and arrived at the double doors, which had been left slightly open. Leon had his handgun raised, and they slowly walked inside, being as quiet as they could.

They had found themselves in a very, very large entrance hall, most likely the official entrance of the castle interior. It was very well lit, as several tall pillars ran down the length of the multi-colored tiled stone floor, and at the top of each pillar was a thriving flame. The supporting pillars that held the hall were also decorated with different color stone or ceramic tiles themselves all around them. Tapestries hung from the tops of each support pillar and draped several feet down. Along the walls were works of fine art and more tile decorations. A set of steps led up to the second part of the hall, which was elaborately decorated with more of the same. At the end of it all, many feet above the floor was a balcony, the stage draped with blue curtains, most likely made of fine material. Below the balcony, the walkway led to a door at the very far end. On the far right wall, a metal door led elsewhere.

_Wow…someone lives very well, I notice…_

The entrance hall was really a work of aesthetic and architectural beauty, and Leon regretted that he couldn't stay. Under completely different circumstances, this would be a nice place to explore. Sightseeing aside, the two of them moved quickly through the first part of the hall and began ascending the stairs when they heard a cackle from ahead and above—a dry, whiny cackle, as if it was coming from someone rather elderly.

_Not alone, it seems…_

The two of them stopped on the top step and looked towards the balcony, where the sound seemed to come from, and two very tall figures stepped through the curtains, followed by a male who was very short by comparison who stood in the center of the two tall figures. The short male looked very pale, possibly quite pasty indeed. His hair was white and his skin wrinkly, making him look like an elderly short male. He wore a long blue robe with gold trim, which covered a white shirt under a gold vest. He wore brown pants that stopped at the knee, which was then followed by white knee-high socks that went into brow shoes. The man also wore a blue tri-corner hat, and his whole appearance looked like that out of a historical textbook.

_Looks like Napoleon to me. _

The two tall, broad figures that flanked the male wore what could've been symbolic religious robes. The one to the man's right wore a deep black robe with red trim, and the one to his left wore the opposite—a dark, crimson robe with black trim. They were both hooded, and Leon could not see their heads—just two pairs of bright, red eyes that seemed to stare directly into Leon's soul.

"I was starting to wonder when you might notice us," the short male said, his voice scratchy, and noticeably accented with a Spanish inflection.

"Who are you?" Leon asked firmly.

The male raised his arms. "Me llamo Ramon Salazar, the eighth Castellan of this magnificent architecture. I have been honored with the prodigious power given to me by the great Lord Osmund Saddler. I've been expecting you, my brethrens."

"No thanks, _bro_," Leon replied. Already he was getting tired of this.

"My, my, we have a feisty one," Salazar shot back, gripping the balcony railing to get a better look. "If you care for your own well being, I suggest you simply surrender yourself and simply…become our hostage. Or, rather, Mr. Kennedy, you can just give us the girl, since you're not worth a penny, I'm afraid." Salazar moved back and turned around, his back toward the two below. "You can die for all I care."

With that, the short Salazar walked back through the curtains, his two bodyguards following right behind him. Seconds later, a wall began to rise up out of the floor, just below the balcony, and in a matter of seconds, the wall stopped, blocking off the path ahead.

_Looks like that old man wants us to take the long way around…_

The two Americans were left alone once again. Ashley looked at Leon, her expression incredulous.

"I'm never turning into one of them! Never!"

"Got that right," Leon agreed. "We'll find the cure."

_Hopefully I'm right and those aren't just empty words…_

_--- _

He looked at the small brown bottle in one hand, and in the other was a pen, furiously writing in a blank notebook. Luis was sitting at the end of a long table in the dining hall, all alone and quiet for the moment. He had taken a half empty notebook from his cabin a while back, wanting some time to write everything he could possibly scribble down about everything related to Las Plagas and the Los Illuminados. Luis knew that time was not on his side at all, knew that both Saddler and Salazar were both looking for him, and that the very real possibility that he was going to die if he was found. Just in case that eventuality came, he hoped that at least find Leon and give him not only the drugs, but the notebook as well. He wanted nothing more than to see Saddler and the puny Salazar dead, and he felt that if he should be found and killed, his research and knowledge about this whole nightmare could be passed on. He was certain that Salazar knew he was in the castle. How could he miss seeing Luis enter the castle?

On the table next to the notebook was the master Plaga sample, the white parasite swimming around freely in its purple fluid. It was this small, little thing—so small in size, but yet so important in this ordeal, that would either be a new life…or death. The scientist was still cursing himself mentally for dropping the medicine _again_ in his haste to escape the Novistadors. After his mishap out near the castle entrance with the two Americans, he had to go through the sewers again, but this time he knew to be quiet, and sure enough, he found the bottle he dropped, near one of the empty cells in the sewer. Not only did it function as part of the castle's own system, but it was also a prison, designed to hold political enemies and other undesirables of the past.

Luis had remembered those prisons well—it was there they stored the villagers who refused to join the Los Illuminados, who ended up as part of the sick experiments that he and Saddler performed. Some didn't survive. Some became horrible mutations which ended up as rejects, and some became the creatures who fell under Saddler's control—the Novistadors, Garradors, Regenerators, and those dangerous Verdugos who protected Saddler, to name a few. Those were some of the more dangerous Ganados. The religious zealots and villagers served a purpose as well, but those experiments were separate than what Saddler really had in mind—world domination. The creatures that Saddler wanted to make using the Plagas and human DNA were to be part of an army that was to be used to carry out his plan, Luis hypothesized. While he didn't know for certain, as Saddler was very careful to watch what the lone scientist was privy to, why else would Saddler have wanted with such vigor to create these horrific mutations?

The scientist continued writing, his hand moving as quickly as it possibly could while keeping the script legible.

_There are some parasites that have the ability to control their hosts. It's basic knowledge among biologists but not much is known as to how the parasites do it. Studying these parasites specifically might reveal some clues to as to how the powers of Las Plagas work, and perhaps provide more insight on the victims of Las Plagas, the Ganados. Here is a brief list of some parasites that have the ability to manipulate the behavioral patterns of their host: _

_Dicrocoelium _

_Once the larvae of this parasite migrate to the ant's esophagus, it alters the behavior of the ant. When the temperature drops in the evening, the infected ant climbs to the top of a plant and clamps onto a leaf using its mandible. It stays there immobile until the next morning, placing the ant where it's most vulnerable to be eaten by a browsing herbivore such as sheep. One could conclude that the parasite is manipulating the host's behavior to make its way into the body of its definitive host. _

_Galactosomum _

_The larvae of this parasite make its home inside the brain of a fish such as the Yellowtail and the Parrot Bass. Once infected, the fish make their way up to the water's surface where they'll swim until eaten by seabirds. Once again, this peculiar behavior can only be explained by the parasite's desire to get into the bodies of the seabirds. _

_Leucochloridium _

_This parasite's sporocysts develop in the snail's tentacles. The sporocysts are vivid in color and pulsate continually, somewhat like a worm. Surprisingly, the infected snail makes its way to the top of a plant where it is more visible to the eyes of birds, therefore more likely to be eaten. Once eaten by a bird, the parasite will complete its metamorphosis into an adult. _

He stopped for a second and checked his writing. Hopefully Leon could understand what he was trying to get through. He was going to write more, of course, and he set himself on the table and continued.

A minute later, he heard a door opening from down the hall, out of Luis' eyesight. From the raspy breathing of the intruder and the moving sound of something metallic, most likely a chain, Luis could tell that it wasn't Leon or Ashley, and that it most likely was another of the black-cloaked religious freaks who were sent to hunt him down. Quickly, he grabbed the sample from the table and put it into his pants pocket, along with the bottle of medicine. He took his notebook and slowly, silently, walked toward the other end of the long hall where there was another exit. He'd have to resume his writing elsewhere, and also contact the man who'd contact the lady in red. His chances of escape were starting to look better.

---

"Heeeeeeeeeeeeeelp!" Ashley screamed at the top of her lungs, her voice high and piercing as she stood atop a small platform, looking nervously at the hooded man who was walking slowly and steadily towards her. A few feet away, Leon placed a hard swift kick into the torso of another of the hooded men, the sheer force knocking him back and over the side of the lower platform and into the water surrounding it.

_God damn it, Ashley! Just jump down! It's only a few feet!_

In the last twenty or thirty minutes, their explorations of the castle led them to a large, long room, about the size of a football field, possibly longer. Here, they had been ambushed by a horde of religious zealots, mindless drones of the Los Illuminados. It was certainly the last thing Leon needed—he knew that he wasn't going to have near enough firepower to take them all out, so he used whatever he could, mostly relying on his own physical strength. Most of them had been unarmed, and were easily taken out by a few gunshots, but it seemed that the weapon of choice, at least in this part of the castle was the flail—a metal ball with spikes which dangled from a metal chain and connected to a long handle. It was designed to be swung with such force that the person who was unfortunate to get clubbed with this often suffered broken bones, massive bleeding, and if it was a hard enough hit to the head, death. Leon had an advantage, however—a few shots to the body with the handgun forced them to drop the heavy weapon, and it was in this way that Leon acquired one and used it to his own advantage. Ashley, scared out of her mind, ran away from the agent, her brain telling her to escape, instinct taking over. Unfortunately, this made it harder for Leon to keep up. Some of the hooded men in response broke away from their onslaught and made for Ashley in an attempt to re-capture her, forcing Leon to quickly shift targets whenever he heard her scream loudly and shrilly.

In this large room, there were several places that contained open water, and they had discovered that to get from the midpoint of the room toward the exit on the other side, it involved the turning of two cranks which raised platforms that connected the two sides, bridging the gap across the large expanse of open water. Since Ashley was unarmed and not strong enough to deal with the taller and stronger zealots, Leon helped her up to a raised platform where the cranks stood at opposite ends of the room, widthwise. While she took care of the cranks, Leon took care of the onslaught below.

A demonic laugh followed by a second raspy gasp coming from behind Leon alerted him to their presence. He spun around quickly, swinging the flail around as hard as he could. The heavy metal ball slammed into the first pale-headed figure, knocking his body into the one next to him. The sharp spikes, sheer force and momentum instantly caused the cracking of the figure's cheek bones, eliciting a gurgle from the struck man, then sending him down to the floor, blood starting to pour out of his mouth, knocked out or dead.

"Leeeeeeeeeeeeeeeon!" Ashley screamed again in the same grating voice, which was now beginning to get on his nerves.

_Shut up, woman! _

"Hold on, Ashley! I'm a little preoccupied!" was what came out of Leon's mouth instead.

She was absolutely useless in a hostile situation, he quickly discovered, albeit nearly too late. She very easily could've taken a flail, for example, that Leon forcibly dropped from some of the armed men. Panic dictated her motions, and nothing else mattered to her except escape. Apparently, she still expected Leon to come to her rescue, standing at the edge of the raised platform, just five feet or so off the ground, easily capable of doing it herself.

The split second distraction made Leon lose his focus enough for the male to deliver a kick to Leon's torso, knocking the melee weapon out his hand as he stumbled back and onto the floor, hitting it with a loud clanking noise. The hooded figure quickly went over and picked up the flail again, then took a step toward the sprawled agent, swinging the weapon around, looking at him with murderous glee.

_Not tonight, pal!_

Leon drew his handgun and fired two shots into the figure's chest, dropping the weapon again as he stumbled back. Leon's agility proved to be the advantage, as he took the few seconds of opportunity to reclaim the weapon. The American swung with the heavy medieval weapon again, slamming it hard into the black robed man, letting out a loud burst of air as the force knocked the wind out of him, doubling him over. A second later, he delivered another kick straight into the bent figure's face, causing him to stumble backwards, clutching his face in pain as he tripped over the side of the platform and splashing into the drink, rendering him out of action.  
"Help me, Leon!" she screamed again, and he spun around just in time to see another figure sling Ashley over his shoulder and begin carrying her toward a door at the end of the raised platform.

_Stupid girl…why the hell didn't you just jump down?!_

Leon let out an audible growl of frustration as he dropped the flail and aimed his gun, and aimed for the captor's legs. A second later, two shots were fired. Less than a second later, both bullets found their marks, causing a cry of pain from the captor and a yell of surprise from Ashley as both went down to the ground. She quickly got back up and ran to the edge of the platform, this time jumping off and landing squarely on her feet, then ran toward Leon again.

"Was that so hard?" he asked, a hint of annoyance in his voice as he stared at the frightened young woman. "Let's get out of here." He ejected the spent clip, then grabbed another and slammed it home. He checked his dwindling supply, only to find that he had about five clips left, not counting the one he just loaded into the weapon. He'd been very careful to conserve ammo since he left the cabin back in the village, taking ten clips from there. With barely any shotgun ammunition left, and having used a few clips in this space, he decided he was going to hold onto the flail for now, and holstered his handgun. Without another word, they quickly walked to the other side and out through the exit.

In stark contrast to the bright, white, well-lit gigantic space they just came from, this new section seemed darker, had more of a dungeon look and feel to it. While the new area was rather large, it didn't seem quite as inviting. Gray stone lined the walls and floor, dotted with lightly colored lichens in various places. The only sources of light in the room were many tall, fully lit candelabras that stood in spots around the area, including a row that lined both sides of a red, well-worn carpet that led up the middle, the carpet itself worn down to nothing in places. The high ceiling allowed for a second floor with several balconies jutting out from the high walkway that lined the perimeter of the room. A staircase some feet off to Leon's left allowed access to the second floor. Supporting the second story were again, gray pillars that looked nowhere near as decorated and ornate as the entrance from where they met Ramon Salazar. Perhaps this was meant as an observation hall, from the way the balconies sat. Two round wooden chandeliers hung from the ceiling, with candles all around. None were lit. Two large statues hung upside down from the ceiling as well, their purpose and position looking strangely odd and out of place with the entire setting.

_Gives me the creeps…_

At the far end, the carpeted path narrowed into a tunnel, and Leon could just barely make out a door inside the tunnel. They kept moving ahead toward the back of the room, the two of them just looking around the place, taking it all in. For the moment, there was silence, no guards or crazy men in robes set to ambush them. As they entered the tunnel in the back of the observation hall, Ashley began to cough violently, a heavy, heaving cough that got Leon's attention. He noticed a surprised, frightened look on her face when he turned around, and then saw the reason why—

--blood was coming through the gaps between her fingers.

_Oh, shit…_

Stopped, he immediately felt that something was wrong, thinking she was about to have a seizure brought on by the mutating parasites inside her.

"You all right?"

Suddenly, she looked at him strangely, angrily, as if he was a complete and total stranger, a madman.

"I'm fine! Leave me alone!" The frightened girl quickly took off in a run, pushing the concerned Leon out of the way, blindly sprinting past the door and toward a dead end in her immediate urge to flee.

"Ashley, wait!" Leon called, then began to run toward her in pursuit.

_Damn it, you idiot! Where the hell are you going?_

He managed to get only a few feet when suddenly, he was stopped short by a row of steel spikes, rising out of the floor and creating a barrier between the two. Leon could go no further. As she ran further and further away from him, several more rows of thin metal spikes further distanced them apart, until her blind panic subsided enough to realize the error of her stupid move—she hit a dead end, five rows of steel spikes separating her and safety. She turned around and pressed herself against the wall, looking at Leon with scared, terrified eyes, whimpering. Suddenly, a band of thick, curved metal shot out from the wall and wrapped itself around the panicked girl, followed by two more such bands that wrapped her body, pinning her to the wall, trapping her where she stood.

"What's going on?!"

"Ashley!"

She screamed a shrill, bloodcurdling scream of pure terror, then gasped as the wall itself began to turn a complete 180 degrees, taking her with it, finally stopping when she disappeared from his sight altogether.

Ashley Graham was re-captured.

_For fuck's sake!_

Feeling his blood beginning to rise, he clenched one hand into a fist, ready to hit the next thing he saw. Ashley was taken from him, and now he vowed to get her back, come hell or high water. The man had a job to do—he was not going to leave until the mission was done.

"Don't worry, Ashley!" Leon yelled, hoping she could hear his voice through the stick stone wall. "I'm coming for ya!"

He grabbed his radio, needing to inform Hunnigan of the new development, and also to see if she could provide some further help. As the radio was in his hand, it beeped, indicating an incoming call.

_Looks like she read my mind. I guess the connection is back._

To his surprise, the line connected, despite the fact that static still filled the small screen where Hunnigan would normally be. Hopefully, the audio still worked.

"Hunnigan, what happened? The transmission got cut off earlier. Everything okay?"

A dry, high-pitched insane laugh came through from the other end.

---

END OF CHAPTER NINE. I'm very glad that I've been getting many reviews for this particular story. So far, most of them have been great. Thank you all. I hope I've kept your interest this far…there's plenty more to come. Keep those reviews coming!


	11. Chapter Ten: Madness

**Author's Note: **To everyone who has been reading this story, especially those who read it when I was updating at a frantic pace last November (2006), I am so sorry that it took this long for this chapter to get posted. Many of you kept clamoring for more, and after NaNoWriMo ended, real life took over and writing stopped. However, with NaNo coming around the corner, it is my goal to not only break the 50,000 word mark once again, but finish this story. This chapter marks the end of the first half of the game, or thereabouts. The next chapter begins "book 2," as it were. Once again, I've returned!

**Chapter Ten: Madness**

Another insane childlike laugh followed, and during it, the image of the pale Salazar came into view in place of Ingrid Hunnigan, smiling widely.

"Salazar!" Leon said angrily. "How'd you—"

"We jacked the line," the pale figure cut in, his heavy Spanish accent drowning out Leon's voice. "We didn't want you telling everyone any unnecessary information."

"Where's Ashley?" Leon shot back, in no mood for games.

Salazar's eyes grew wide, the happy expression on his face even broader as he chuckled. "Aww…so she fell into one of our wonderful traps. We'll make sure we find her. Don't you worry about her. However, if you're feeling foolishly brave, Mr. Kennedy, you can go through the sewers. I let out some of our miserable insects for a little exercise."

"Thanks," Leon replied sarcastically. "That should keep me company, because boredom kills me."

"As I said before, Mr. Kennedy, you're worth nothing. Go on and sacrifice yourself in the name of your country. It'll be ours soon enough. I look forward to our next encounter…in another life." Salazar let out another insane laugh at Leon's expense before the feed cut, the transmission over.

_Well, fuck you too, old man!_

Placing his radio back in its case, there was only one way to go. The door to his right was the only way forward, which would probably lead him to the sewers that Salazar had just mentioned. As he opened the door and walked through the doorway, he found himself in a small room, a single lit oil lamp hanging from the ceiling. Just a few feet ahead of him, a wooden door set into the floor was open, as if it was inviting him to what lied beneath it. He climbed into the world below down an entry ladder.

What greeted him was a warm and humid environment; dark, dank smell of mildew and moisture that permeated the air and stuck there, rank and foul odor that wanted to cling to anything. Dark stone lined the walls of the passageway, with dark moss and slick substances clinging to them. Lit torches along the wall illuminated the way forward, indicating that someone had been here fairly recently to light them all—Luis? Or possibly Salazar? The ground itself was covered in a thin layer of water in spots. Resigned to his current course of action, Leon drew his handgun and moved forward until the path itself took a right, then down another straight stretch of a hundred feet or so.

_CRASH!_

As soon as Leon turned the corner, a metallic clang hit the stone ground some distance away from Leon, loudly. Whatever it was, it was heavy. Leon stood stock still and quickly brought the gun to his face, aiming dead ahead. Cautiously, he took slow, deliberate steps around the corner, expecting to see some sort of creature—

--and all he came upon was a small clearing of sorts. Nothing was there. All he saw ahead of him was an open door on the far end of this larger area. However, to get to the other side, Leon noticed that he had come to a pool of some sort, with one ladder to get down and one that went back up to where Leon needed to go. Several pipes stuck out from the sides of the pool, and a large grate for a drain sat in the center, set into the stone floor. The pool itself was probably filled with waste water on occasion, then drained. Right now, it was empty, much to Leon's advantage. With no immediate danger, Leon went down the metal ladder into the empty pool, then quickly ran across the way to the other ladder, fortunate that his luck, horrible at times, didn't go away. Last thing he wanted was to get caught if the pipes carried water and start filling up the pool. He went up the ladder fast, then walked a few feet ahead and pushed the door open.

The agent had found himself in another wide open clearing, this one wider than what he just came from. A path went off somewhere to his left, and up ahead was a cellblock, with two cells on each side, all of them with rusty metal bars, equivalent to jail cells. In the center, a beam of light shot through an opening in the ceiling; this was probably a vent that led up to the surface.

_A prison? What's a prison doing down here?_

Feeling a bit curious, he couldn't help but notice one of the doors to the cells was broken, lying flat inside the cell. With the other three closed, he took a look and stepped inside the cell.

_Hello…what's this?_

At the far wall, a bloodied corpse sat on the floor in a sitting position next to the wooden planks that functioned as a bed. The man had short hair, was clean shaven, and had brown skin. The clothes that he wore, albeit bloody, looked similar to the attire of many of the villagers—probably was one of them himself before being incarcerated in here. His throat had been slashed, a long, deep cut that tore cleanly through most of the neck, jugular vein included. Some of the blood had congealed, but some of it still looked fairly viscous.

_Whatever happened to him, this was fairly recent._

Lying on the ground next to him was a shotgun with some scattered, spent shells littering the cell floor.

_The man had been fighting something, most likely, but why would whoever jailed him allow him to have a shotgun?_

Curious mental questions aside, Leon had a more pressing need at the forefront. Because the man had carried a shotgun, chances seemed good that the corpse was carrying some shells, ammo that Leon desperately needed for the moment. As Leon checked the pockets of the corpse, he felt a little guilty, but quickly put it out of his mind when the inspection yielded exactly twelve shells found in the pockets, which would give him a total of fifteen shells, including the three he had in his shotgun already. He took two of the new shells and loaded the firearm up fully.

_Sorry, pal…but you won't be needing these anymore. _

No sooner did Leon finish putting the extra shells in his ammo pouch did a loud, very high pitched shriek, slice through the air, very close to where Leon was, startling him.

_What the fuck?!_

He got to his feet in an instant, hearing a heavy thud hitting the ground close by him as he ran out of the cell and back into the clearing. With the shotgun already in hand, he had it raised and aimed in the direction of the heavy noise, thinking that something dropped from the vent above. Quickly scanning the room yielded nothing, however, from somewhere nearby, Leon heard the sounds of something clacking against the stone ground rhythmically, and from somewhere very close to the agent, another shrill noise echoed off the walls, loud and coming from very close to him, sounding like it was coming from near the circle of light beneath the vent.

_What the hell is making that noise?_

Leon's gaze remained fixated on the vent, and suddenly, something moved partially into the light, casting a shadow on the ground. The beams of light had also disappeared partially from view, yet Leon heard no sound of something moving to cover the opening at the surface. Leon's heart began to beat quickly, and a cold sweat began to break out over his body.

_Something's here, and whatever it is, it's using camouflage…_

The shadow moved smaller, scrunching itself as if it was about to leap. Leon rested his finger on the trigger, now almost certain that this was about to be a battle. Suddenly, out of thin air, a blob of thick, white translucent drool fell to the floor, hitting the ground with a splat. A second later, Leon dove to his right and fired the shotgun, a deafening blast that bounced off all the walls at the exact moment the creature lunged at him, suddenly materializing into this horrible creature that defied all logic and reality, a winged beast that had four appendages, claws at the end of all of them. Leon was quick, but the creature was faster, as one sharp, shiny claw tore through Leon's black shirt and through the skin, bleeding almost instantly. He drew in a pained breath through gritted teeth as he stared at the wound.

_Son__of a bitch!_

The cut itself was several inches long, but not deep, luckily. Leon had dodged out of the way enough so that the damage was limited to a flesh wound, but still, it hurt. That was going to leave a mark. He spun around to stare at the new, unspeakable horror before him, noticing that the shotgun blast landed in its hard abdomen, a nice deep hole with green fluid pouring out of the wound.

The creature that materialized in front of the agent was an unspeakable nightmare, something only the sickest mind could think up. Its body was comprised of a hard, dark green exoskeleton, possessing a body very much like an insect. Four long limbs jutted out from its body, if they could even be called arms and legs. At the end of each slender, yet muscular limb were sharp clawed talons. Four wings were on the top of its frame, two larger front wings for flight, and two smaller ones in the back were for balance—if any one wing was destroyed, it would upset its balance. As the creature turned around to face Leon again, it stared at him with several large eyes, round and orb-like in appearance, not segmented like in most insects. Two slitted sections of body on each side of its abdomen were moving in and out rapidly, which meant that they were probably used for the creature's breathing. Its large mandible was wide open, with copious amounts of viscous drool pouring out of it. A set of long antennae jutted out to the back of its body, and it was preparing itself for another attack, just a few feet away from Leon.

_God, you're an ugly motherfucker…_

Fighting the pain, he quickly aimed straight for the creature's gaping jaw and fired away at point-blank, the firearm kicking itself back in recoil as another hot slug tore from the barrel and straight into the creature's gaping maw, tearing through the thick exoskeleton and a few of its black eyes, sending chunks of skin and tissue, spraying thick green blood all over the ground as the force of the blast knocked the severely defiled creature onto its back. In doing so, it exposed its pink underside of the abdomen, and Leon wasted no time in running up to the creature before it had a chance to recover, placing the barrel of the gun directly _onto_the monster, then pulling the trigger, releasing a disgusting splay of sinew and more dark fluid that sprayed the bottoms of Leon's pants. He took a few steps back as he watched the overgrown insect let out a piercing shriek of pain, flailing all of its limbs as it gurgled on its own fluid, and then fell silent a few seconds later, the thin limbs falling limply to its sides.

_My god…what the hell kind of sick fuck created you? No way are you a natural creature…damn, is Saddler really that insane? That much of a madman? God, that must have been a human or an animal at some point…reminds me of those damn "lickers" from Raccoon City. Now I know why that dead guy had the gun. _

The gun still raised and aimed at the creature, he continued to breathe heavily as his body began to wind down, the adrenaline starting to wear off. He looked at the cut on his left arm, and found that it was still bleeding, but not heavily. He'd be okay. However, he still needed to get out of the sewer, and fast. He didn't want to deal with any more of those winged monsters—he didn't have enough ammo to fight too much more, and he didn't want to waste the precious shells he just recently acquired. So he continued moving forward, ignoring the path that was to his left when he came in here, and walked instead toward the far end of the cellblock, and found himself at the edge of another pool. At this one, however, he noticed that there was some water hanging around in the bottom of the pool. He could see the bottom, and also saw an open gate at the other end of said pool.

_Well, I already got wet once…_

He placed one foot on the metal rung.

_CRASH!_

_For many years the Salazar family has served as the Castellans of this castle. However, not everything is bright, for my ancestry has a dark past. Long ago there once was a religious group that had deep roots in this region called the Los Illuminados. Unjustly however, the first Castellan of the castle took away their rights and powers. As a follower of this religion and as the eighth Castellan, I felt that it was my duty as well as my responsibility to atone for that sin. I knew the best way to atone for the sin was to give power back to those who we once took it away from, the Los Illuminados. _

_As expected, it took a little time, but we were able to rejuvenate the once sealed Las Plagas. With this success, I was one step closer to the revival of the Los Illuminados. The reason why I released the Las Plagas from deep under this castle and gave them to Lord Saddler was not only to repay for the sins of my ancestors, but I felt certain that the Lord would make better use of this power to help save the world--to save those that have sinned with the power of the Las Plagas and to cleanse their souls creating a world without sinners. The way it was meant to be. Once cleansed, they would become one of the many Ganados, where they will find their reason to live. And after the Lord has succeeded in creating the world in which he has envisioned, then the sins of the Salazar family will be atoned for._

Ada Wong found herself in the middle of a crossfire in the Salazar gallery, a massive room which housed mostly works of art, portraits of each member of the Salazar family, and each successive Castellan, all the way up to the current one, Ramon Salazar himself, looking very young and happy.

She had no time to stare and ponder over the artwork as a volley of automatic gunfire tore through the air, the rapid fire tearing holes in the stone and plaster walls. She had walked into an ambush, right into several of the black-hooded cultists that were everywhere, she noticed. Whether it was a deliberate ambush or not, it caught her unprepared--an unusual moment for the sly, hard-willed assassin.

The gallery itself was divided into two sections—a lower and upper section, with various walkways and doors to get from one section to the other. It was like its own little museum in the middle of the castle. In the center of the lower section of the gallery was a large, round pedestal, and after Ada took out the mindless droning men in the black robes, a man wearing a red religious robe rose out of the center pedestal, sitting at a large, rapid-fire machine gun. The man himself wore a helmet which looked like a gold skull of sorts. It had to be made out of something very bullet-proof, for she had fired her handgun at the head, only for the bullet to ricochet off.

Now here she was, taking refuge in one of the side rooms that connected one part of the gallery to another. In her dash toward safety, she noted that the gun could only fire in short spurts—after firing continuous ammo for five or so seconds, the gun stopped firing, probably to prevent the gun from getting too hot and ruining the heavy firearm. Also, she noticed that the turret moved way too slowly. It was too big and couldn't catch up with someone who was running around it, giving the shooter vulnerability if the target ran around to the shooter's back. The only reason she took refuge in this room was to think for a few seconds, for she herself was low on her only weapon at the moment—her handgun, down to only a couple of clips left. During the crossfire, discovered just how useful a medieval weapon, in this case, the flail, could be.

Somehow, a woman wielding a melee weapon such as that made her feel more…more_badass,_for lack of a better word. Anyone could carry and fire a gun, but wielding a flail just seemed much more apropos, especially since that the castle itself had a medieval sort of feel to it.

_Just try getting me, bastard._

Her strategy set, she held the heavy flail in one hand, then quickly bolted through the open doorway, the door itself having been shot to splinters. The man in red opened fire, letting loose with a hail of gunfire as she began to run around the pedestal, outrunning it. From her observation, he was unarmed, and several seconds later, as she thought, the gun stopped firing.

_Now!_

Using her incredible agility, the slender woman jumped up onto the center pedestal, and before the man in red could do anything, she let out a yell, swinging the flail as hard as she could, slamming it hard into the thick, armor-plated skull that protected his head. The sheer momentum of the heavy metal spiked ball knocked him clean off the pedestal and onto the floor. She jumped down next to him, throwing the flail down to the ground, and with one high-heeled shoe, stepped on his stomach, pinning him to the carpet, her long, shapely leg exposed. She drew her handgun and looked down at the man, holding it at his chest.

"Lord…Saddler…" the male managed to choke out, knowing what was about to happen. Before she fired, suddenly he gripped her leg with one hand and began to pull it in an attempt to trip her and gain the upper hand. Five shots rang out in quick succession, each round fired at point-blank range into the man's chest, causing his body to spasm violently as the bullets tore through his lungs and heart. His grip on her leg loosened, and with one last heaving sigh, his body relaxed, and blood began to seep out of the gunshot wounds.

"Never touch me again. You definitely don't deserve it," she said coolly, stepping off the now-deceased man. The sly woman holstered her gun on her thigh again, then made her way to the upper platform where the exit was. She took one last look at the gallery before going through the exit door, knowing that he was going to be heading through here shortly. As much as she wanted to stay around and see the old flame, she had other appointments to keep.

_Be grateful, Leon…_

Glad to be breathing air that wasn't rank with mildew and decay, he vocally expressed his disgust as the familiar sight of the observation hall came back to his sight. As the familiarity began to sink in, he was quickly coming to the realization that he fought and slogged his way back to the upper level of the hall, back to the same area where Ashley ran away from Leon and vanished behind a trap wall.

He had made one big circle, wasting precious time in the process--exactly what Salazar wanted. Salazar knew that Leon would most likely survive the horrors of the underground prison, and also knew that it was one giant loop back to the hall. With that realization, he knew that he was going to have to make up that time quickly--despite the setback, Ashley remained in danger, and there was no telling what Salazar or his freaks might do. The detour cost Leon some precious ammunition, leaving him with just a handful of shotgun shells, four or five at most. He still had plenty of handgun ammunition, six or seven clips from the stock he took from Luis' house, but the creatures were getting stronger and more resilient. Last thing he wanted was to expend all of his bullets taking out one monster. Taking a look around, he noticed that there was a door on the other side of the cavernous hall. To his disadvantage, not only was that door on the other side of the room, and diagonally opposite from the corner of which Leon now stood, he also noted that there was NO way to get to the other side--at least, no visible span, bridge, or walk around.

There were voices coming from below him, coming from the floor. They were soft, monotonous, droning almost. The agent crept stealthily closer to the railing, crouching so as to not be seen, until he eyed the source of the noise. In the center of the hall, he spotted a group of acolytes, ten of the black-robed monk creatures surrounding one cloaked in red, probably the leader here. The one in red had his arms raised in the air, standing in front of a small table covered in something white. On top, something large and fleshy with a sword sticking out of it sat, blood soaking the white cloth beneath it.

_Don't even wanna know what that is…_

Looking at his surroundings once again, he noticed that a series of large, wooden chandeliers hung from the ceiling. They were arranged in a certain way, almost as if one must leap across and pray that his strength can cause the chandeliers to swing far enough to jump across. How ridiculous!

_Then, if that's how I have to get across, how do these guys walk through here? There must be hidden or secret doors around here…unfortunately, time is not on my side. Looks like I have no choice but to jump and swing across. _

Ridiculous and foolish as the idea was, it looked to be the agent's only way to get across. He was dexterous and strong enough, and the adrenaline was running very high right now, but this was going to require a little luck as well. He also had to do this without the zealots below seeing him. Regardless, this was going to have to be done quickly, in a matter of seconds, and he reached to his belt and pulled off a flashbang grenade, leaving him with just a couple.

_Funny…they never taught chandelier jumping in training…maybe I should ask to have that added. _

Quietly he pulled the pin.

_Time to play the action hero. Again._

He lobbed the flashbang over.

Some minutes later, Leon found himself back outside, quickly running along the stone walkway. The cool night air left a pleasant feeling on his sweaty body. He had just come through a gallery of sorts, almost as if he was walking through a museum. However, he found himself grateful--apparently, someone had recently gone through there, gunning down a few of the robed freaks in the process, possibly clearing a path for someone else. However, he had to be slightly impressed when he noticed a fallen red-robed acolyte near a Gatling gun. In his observation, he concluded that judging by the still-pooling blood, whoever came through here simply kicked ass. And it was very recently, probably a half hour ago, tops.

He slowed down the pace as he came to an open area, seeing a working stone fountain in the center, a few crows sitting on the stone edges. There was nothing of further interest except a narrow path behind the water fountain. Pressing on, he jogged toward the large door at the end of the path, his handgun drawn for the moment. He opened it slowly, revealing an open expanse of greenery, and from the looks of it, the hedges were trimmed and arranged in a certain way, effectively creating a maze in the courtyard. From the landing on which he stood, he could see a stone statue in the center of the yard. At the end of the walkway he was on, it appeared that some steps led down into the maze.

_Not bad._

His video communications device began to beep, and while there was currently silence, he grabbed it and answered, hoping that Hunnigan would return to view. Instead, the decrepit, ancient-looking Salazar came into view, his sickly pale features forming a pleasant smile on his fake-looking skin.

"What a pleasant surprise, Mr. Kennedy. Still alive, I see. So, do you like my garden?"

Leon sneered. "I see you've managed to work some of your twisted taste in here too, old man."

The castellan chuckled. "Did you say old man, Mr. Kennedy? It might come as a surprise to you, but I'm only twenty years old."

Leon raised an eyebrow. "So you're just like all the others--puppets of your parasites."

"Surely you don't think I'm the same as those diminutive _ganados,_" he replied, then smiled broadly once again. "The parasites, _Las Plagas, _are slaves to my will. I have absolute control."

Leon shot him a look of utter disgust. "Really? Well, I don't give a damn. You're going down regardless."

Salazar let out a high-pitched laugh. "Please, Mr. Kennedy. You will never get out of here alive. Besides, it's Ashley we need…not you. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to tie up a few loose ends…like chasing down a couple of rats." Before Leon could reply, Salazar cut the transmission, the screen fading to black as the call ended. He put the device back in its holster, and began to walk forward cautiously…last time he ended a talk with Salazar, he was introduced to those aberrations back in the prison.

_Two rats? If one's Luis…who's the other? Someone else here besides me?_

Moving further down the small walkway, he could see an open door straight ahead, a door leading indoors. With that last line by Salazar still moving in his head, he took one step inside and found himself inside a rather large bedroom. To his left was a rather large bed, and several framed images were on the walls. He moved further inside, noticing a single door to his right. Before he could take a step in that direction, he felt something hard press into his back, something cold and metallic.

"Put your hands where I can see them," ordered the intruder, the voice authoritative. And female.

"Sorry, but following a lady's lead isn't my style," Leon replied coolly.

The woman pressed the gun harder into his back. "Put them up _now._"

On reflex, Leon quickly spun around and grabbed her arm, taking her gun with the free hand. The motion caught her off guard, but she recovered in time, quickly spinning around and went into a forward cartwheel, knocking the gun out of Leon's hand as her shapely bare legs nearly connected with his face, sending the firearm up into the air. As she stood back up, the gun began to fall, and the woman made a dash for it as Leon drew his knife from his shoulder sheath, running toward the lady in red. In a split second, she snatched the gun out of the air and aimed the barrel directly at him--but Leon moved faster, catching her body off balance, wrapping his arm around her body and put himself in an advantageous position by positioning the blade against her throat.

_Checkmate._

"Bit of advice," he began, "try using knives next time. It works better in close encounters." With his free hand, he took her gun, ejected the clip and tossed the weapon aside. Giving no resistance, she freed herself and stood before the agent, standing beautiful and composed in that red dress, the sexy assassin raised her hand to her face and removed her sunglasses. And now Leon was absolutely sure--that black hair, the beautiful Asian face, the delicious body. It was her.

"Leon…long time, no see."

**CHAPTER END. **It is my intention to have the next chapter up soon. As I said, this will updated frequently in November, so just hold on! Comments and reviews appreciated!


	12. Chapter Eleven: Agents of Suppression

**Note:**As I said…I'd be updating this story a lot in November. And now, 2 days in, I write a chapter. Picking up where we left off, I hope those who have followed Leon and crew this far continue to enjoy the novelization as best as I can write it. Remember: THIS IS A NOVELIZATION. NOT A STRATEGY GUIDE. Some things WILL be omitted/changed to make the game read more like a novel--this means Leon's not going to find random ammo everywhere, nor will characters have to go on long winded trips to find random items to open doors, treasures, etc. I also will edit, add, omit, or tweak game dialogue to make the story flow better. While many good reviews have been coming in over the last year, some of you are very quick to nail me on minor points on things I changed from the main game. I do very much appreciate the attention to detail--that tells me that you're reading thoroughly (and in most cases, enjoying the story), but keep in mind that the tweaks ARE intentional. With that reminder out of the way, we move on to Chapter 11!

**Chapter Eleven: Agents of Suppression**

"Ada…" Leon began, and as the realization began to sink in, a wave of past memories and emotions began to flood back into his mind, memories of six years ago, memories of that nightmare...feelings of care, emotion…love. Fighting the urge to blurt out the stream of words he wanted to say, all he could do was look at her sternly, a look of slight annoyance, of anger. "So it is true."

Her gaze remained on the former cop, and a smirk began to tease at the corner of her lips. "True?" she asked, somewhat coyly. "About what?"

"You've been working with Wesker," he answered, knowing full well that she knew the answer. He was an agent of the government--he had access to all the information pertaining to and from the Raccoon City incident, and he'd known that she was a spy. She admitted as such on that fateful day.

"I see you've been doing your homework, Leon." She took a step toward him.

And now the question he had to ask, the question he wanted to ask her six years ago before the underground Umbrella lab blew to hell. "Why, Ada?"

Her sunglasses fell out of her hand, hitting the carpet. "What's it to you?" she replied back, still playing the sly female.

Leon was starting to grow a little impatient. "Why are you here? Why did you show up like this?"

She chuckled and took another step toward him. Before anyone could say another word, the sunglasses on the floor emitted a high-pitched beep, and suddenly exploded in a blinding flash of white light, forcing Leon to quickly shield his eyes.

_Ah, shit…they're a flash bomb!_

Whatever her intentions, the diversion allowed her to quickly dart across the room and grab her gun, with Leon powerless to do anything to stop her. Leon could hear the sounds of her heels muffled against the floor, and knew she was making for the open door back outside. As the light began to return to normal, Leon quickly opened his eyes in time to see Ada standing at the landing outside.

"See you around, Leon," she said, then quickly jumped over the railing into the courtyard below.

"Ada!" Leon called out, then ran back outside, thinking about pursuing her. However, as he looked across the courtyard maze, he saw nothing, not even a flicker of movement in the shrubbery. The only thing that lingered was her perfume, a sweet, intoxicating smell that brought back the memories even more--the same scent she gave off in Raccoon City.

_Damn you, woman! Nice to know you haven't changed…however, I'm pretty sure that we'll see each other again before this all ends…_

Knowing it was useless to pursue her, he began to get back into the mindset regarding the task at hand--which right now was recovering Ashley. However, he knew that with Ada now in the picture, the added element of distraction was going to make the mission tougher. With her alive and near, the old emotions were re-surfacing. Once again, he felt the need to protect her, and once again, he began feeling the old emotions of desire--that one was going to be the most dangerous emotion of all.

_Ada…why?_

But he had a job to do, and now he was just standing here wasting precious time. Putting aside his current state of mind, he went back inside, and with nothing left here, he went through the one door on the far end of the bedroom, continuing his journey into the surreal.

Where the door led into was something altogether different, however. He found himself in a brightly lit room, standing on white tiled floor in a narrow corridor that went down and hung a left. Raising his handgun, he stopped and listened intently for any sign of movement or voice. After several seconds of silence, he deemed it safe, and jogged down the corridor, taking a left, and inspecting the scene. Two long tables stretched in front of him, each draped with fine white linens and ornate place settings, as if set for a massive feast. A couple of paintings and tapestries hung alongside the walls, and from initial observation, he came to the conclusion that Saddler or Salazar had plenty of money to throw around, given that the plates and utensils were all made of gold.

An open door leading into a room of red stood straight ahead from where Leon stood, and as he walked toward it, he noticed another path to his right, leading into a dim area. For the moment, he wanted to check out the room of red. At this point, he had no idea where he was going, and if he came to a dead end, he'd investigate the dim hallway. Walking into the room of red, there was nothing out of the ordinary. Leon noticed that there was a second story above him, with a railing going around the perimeter of the square room. On the opposite wall where Leon entered was a simple door. With each step further into uncertainty, and without Hunnigan to help him for the moment, he knew that he was lost. However, all he could do was open doors and hope they led to the right places. Salazar already made him go through that hellish underground--no telling where he'd end up. He had to keep his guard up. As he began to walk toward the door on the other side, his attention was diverted by the sound by the sound of clanging metal coming from above.

Quickly, he looked up into the empty ceiling, and before taking another step, a tall metal cage dropped around him, clanging loudly as it hit the ground.

_Trapped!_

_------------------------------------------ _

Her communications device began to beep as she reloaded her gun with a fresh clip of bullets. Tossing the empty clip beside the fountain, she sighed and fished the device from a holster on her thigh. She was greeted by the image of Wesker, his face emotionless as ever, his inhuman eyes always hiding behind those black shades.

"Luis has succeeded in recovering the sample, Ada," he said frankly. Blunt and to the point was always his style--never one to beat around the bush. As soon as he finished his sentence, a map of the Salazar castle showed up on the PDA-like device, and a second later, a red blip flashed in what looked like a fairly large room in the castle, not too far away from where she encountered Leon.

"He's waiting for you. Get in contact with him ASAP."

"Understood," she replied, getting ready to end the transmission. Wesker, as if sensing something was on her mind, quickly cut in before she ended the call. "And about that U.S. Government agent, Leon…if you do happen to encounter him, put him out of commission. We can't let him interfere with our plans."

Our_plans? Nice spin._

"He has no idea what's going on," she replied with conviction. "He's nothing we need to worry about."

"He's a survivor of Raccoon City," Wesker fired back authoritatively. "We can do without the extra distraction. Take him out."

Before Ada could reply back, Wesker ended the transmission, leaving just the map display on the tiny monitor.

_Fucking prick._

She placed the device back on the holster, and proceeded toward the location where Luis was. If he had the sample on him, then this mission was good as done. However, she was playing her own game here. Wesker thought he could call the shots, but she knew better than to follow a pig like him. Besides, she was already under orders from S, and so she'd play his little game, get the sample from Luis, but she had something else in mind…and to play out the rest of the mission, she needed to keep Leon alive. That was for sure--as long as he remained alive, Ada was free to do what she needed to do.

Some small part of her was nagging at her conscience, a tiny voice of moral fiber that was normally kept quite suppressed. After all, she was a trained assassin, death and killing all part of the means that justify the ends. From time to time, it did make itself known, and right now, this was one of those times. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she couldn't help but feel the slightest bit sorry for Leon. She could see it in his eyes--the fear, the emotion, the confusion. And yet, she too, couldn't help during that confrontation feel just a bit…tense. Inside, she could feel repressed emotions start to turn, start to resurface. Of course, she had to play the coy one and not let her emotions betray her, but now that Leon was back in the picture, she had to be careful not to allow a repeat of what happened six years ago, how her love for Leon nearly cost her her life.

_Back then, my role was much simpler too..._

She walked quickly back toward the courtyard, Leon still on her mind.

_I'll continue to work behind the scenes to make him think he's the primary player here...though it may be naïve of me to think that'd be easy. Considering the involvement of both Saddler and Krauser, the possibility of unforeseen problems is there. Nothing is certain, but I need him in the supporting role for me to achieve my goals. I'll do whatever it takes to keep him in his place and make this all go smoothly._

Now back inside the bedroom overlooking Salazar's courtyard, she knew that she was close. A smirk began to creep across her face.

_Hell, who knows? Maybe I still have feelings for him…he's one lucky son of a bitch, that's for sure. Then again, he survived Raccoon City…this should be a cakewalk. I don't think I need to worry._

Wesker could go rot in hell for all she cared.

-----------------------------------------------

From where Luis was hiding, he definitely heard the sound of heavy metal bars falling, followed by several rounds of handgun fire. He was in a small isolated room, branching off from the dining area where he was minutes ago. Now that he had spoken to the man in black, Wesker, she was to meet him in the mezzanine of the central hall, whereupon he'd give her the Plaga sample, and she would arrange for his escape, his liberation from Saddler and everything with him. However, he sensed that with the action going on in a room or two away, he'd be delayed by a few minutes. He knew that the room was a trap room, and someone had sprung it--was it Leon? Someone else? In some way, he was hoping that it _was_Leon, because all that would happen would be just a barrage of those silly monk-like _ganados_, and that also meant that Leon was close--he had to give him the Plaga suppressants, because left unchecked, it was only a matter of time before he'd become a slave to Saddler. And Leon would have an easy time springing from the trap, anyway. _Policia_ were good at that.

In the meantime, he happened upon a small cache of ammunition here in this dusty, empty room. Why it slipped his mind, he didn't know, but he remembered a room where ammunition was stored, and it only punctuated the point when he saw several manners of weaponry lying about the floor--spears, crossbows, bow gun ammunition, even some shotgun and pistol ammo…after all, the trap room was used for non-believers, former people from this area who refused to submit to the _ganados,_the will of Saddler. Luis's head hurt just thinking about it--those were his _amigos_, men, women, people he grew up with, knowing the life of tranquility and hard work before becoming a scientist and a former member of the police in the big city. And now here he was, hiding, trying to escape something that was in part, his own doing. Morality was easy to throw away if the money's good. Hell, it was easy to rationalize _anything_ if the money was good. And now it was all crashing down, his own people depraved, under the employ of a madman. Call it karma, fate, whatever you like, but now the guilt was something that was never going to go away. Even if his luck held and he managed to escape, the town was lost…and that pain, the pain of knowing that he was a cause of all this, would never go away. Maybe with his new life, he could suppress it, keep it at bay, but nothing would ever make it go away…except for death.

There had been moments in recent days where he thought about just ending it all, just giving it all up and escaping his mental torment. What would his grandfather say now? What words of experience did he have to impart on his young grandson? Luis had thanked God that his grandfather passed away before this all happened, before the Plagas were re-awakened on the island, taken from their prehistoric, microbial slumber. But now, here, he knew that he couldn't take his own life. Even in this festering landscape, he had a purpose to remain. He knew that he had to at least try to help the American and the President's daughter, and if he succeeded, then some of his heavy heart could be lifted, at least.

A few minutes had passed since he heard gunfire, and he was actually waiting for prolonged silence before heading back out in the dining area. Hoping to meet up with Leon soon, he had pocketed a couple of the handgun clips and a handful of shells and raising his own gun, he ventured back out into the dining area and walked slowly toward the well-lit area.

As the Spaniard walked back into the dining area proper, he came upon the room of red, the trap room, his heart pounding, praying that one of the cultists hadn't lingered around after killing their pray. He let out a sigh of relief as he peered inside, and saw nothing…nothing except a few bodies slumped on the floor, their pale heads pocked with a couple of bullet holes each, dark crimson leaking out of them. The cage door had been opened as well, and judging from the padlock on the door, it looked like it was shot off, and the door toward the exhibition hall was wide open as well. Whoever sprung the trap had escaped.

_Now, was it Leon or the lady in red…?_

Surmising that whoever had been here was now ahead of them, Luis began to quicken his pace, knowing that the senorita, Ada, was to meet him very soon. If he remembered correctly, the area beyond was the central hall, and she'd be there waiting. Leaving the trap room, he ran down the narrow walkway until it opened up into a large expanse. He found himself on a landing, and below him was an open area, possibly for the use of displaying something. A raised section of the floor created a narrow bridge only a few feet wide, but it connected the two landings, allowing someone to access the other areas of the chamber as well as allowing access to the central hall. Lamps in places allowed for visibility, including a couple of oil lamps hanging from the ceiling. As this was somewhat ornately decorated as the dining area, this place seemed somewhat important. A door to his left led to another section of the gallery, but as the layout of the area flashed in his brain like a map, he knew that he'd go straight ahead, across the bridge and to the hall immediately beyond that would get him to the hall.

A sound from somewhere behind him stopped him in his tracks. It was brief, but it almost sounded like a footstep coming from behind. He spun around quickly, pointing his gun at the direction of the noise, looking back into the trap room from which he'd just come. All that followed was silence. Several seconds passed, and as nothing showed itself, he lowered his gun.

_Maybe it's this old castle playing games with me…_

Mentally shrugging it off, he turned around--just in time to see two figures coming through the passageway on the other side of the large chamber, coming from the place Luis needed to get to. Two black robed cultists were running toward him, their pale white heads covered by their black hoods, their black eyes glaring at him with pure evil. They were moaning something in Spanish, but from the distance between, it was unintelligible. What made matters a bit worse was the fact that both of them were armed with flails, and getting a spiked ball to the face was not something he had in mind. Charging blindly at him like a ram to the slaughter, their feeble minds reduced to mush from the parasite, Luis raised his gun with the intent to fire into their legs, knocking them off the slim bridge, but quickly noticed one of the lit oil lamps hanging directly above the bridge.

_Mis amigos…let me free you from your slavery._

He aimed for the lamp, and waited until the two ran directly under it, and finally, he pulled the trigger.

_Lo siento…_

The shot rang out, echoing off the walls of the chamber. The round found its mark, hitting the oil lamp, immediately raining down liquid fire onto the unsuspecting acolytes, and in doing so, almost immediately ignited the black material. The two men screamed in complete agony, waving their arms frantically in a desperate attempt to extinguish the flames that had completely engulfed their robes and began to burn the skin. They fell off the bridge, landing hard onto the floor below, and as Luis immediately began to cross the bridge, he could smell the flaming fabric, and taking one final glance below, one of them looked directly at him in total anguish. He lifted an arm toward Luis, perhaps as a gesture of thanks, possibly realizing that the suppressed man inside was finally going to break free of his earthly bonds. As he made it to the other landing, one final pained scream shot through the air before it became a bloody gurgle.

_You've found peace…will I ever get mine?_

Not even bothering to stop running, he ran into the stone hallway, hung a right when the hall turned, and ran toward the door at the end, fishing into his pocket and pulling out the Plaga sample and the meds. With any luck, Ada was right in the hall and this would all be over. As he opened the door and stepped into the room, his eyes greeted the back of a familiar figure.

_Leon!_

This time, he knew he had the medicine on him, and now he could buy Leon more time. Instantly, his mood began to change for the better.

"Leon!" he called out, smiling. The American looked behind him and saw a beaming Luis Sera, holding him his hands in seeming triumph. In his right hand was a bottle of pills. In the left, the Plaga. "I got it!" He stopped short when he felt something sharp pressing into his back, something hard and sharp.

_Oh, hell--_

Before he could realize what was going on, the thing rammed itself into his back, piercing him--_impaling him--_and sending a massive wave of pain shooting through his body as the skin and organs ripped apart, widening the invasion. The cop looked on in horror as the slimy_ thing _shot through his body and burst out of his chest--a long, thick tendril of grotesque proportions.

_HE FOUND ME--_

The Spaniard was rendered powerless as the thing rammed through him some more, opening up a massive hole in his torso, blood pouring from the giant hole, his eyes wide with pure terror. Somewhere in the distance, he thought he heard Leon shouting his name. Screaming in bloody horror as he was being ripped asunder, he felt the inhuman muscular thing lift him into the air, forcing his grip loose on the objects in his hands, and as they were falling, he was being lifted high into the air, screaming and flailing wildly as the tentacle shook him into the air wildly.

_NONONONONO--_

From somewhere else in the room, a high pitched female shriek of horror cut through the scene. The stunned cop could only watch in pure terror and shock as Luis was being hurled, tethered by the slick tentacle. A hand belonging to another one reached out and grabbed the falling vial of purple liquid before it hit the ground. Several more seconds went by before the tentacle pulled itself back, and then wagged itself, shaking Luis off and sending him plunging thirty feet to the hard stone floor, sending a fresh wave of pain as several bones broke from the force of impact.

As he writhed, he knew that it was over. The tentacle slithered back to its owner, and Leon watched in awe as the tentacle slithered back, receding back and disappearing under the robes of its owner--

--Osmund Saddler. Standing in the doorway from which Luis came through seconds ago, he looked at the two men, his lips curled in a smug sneer, a motion of triumph. Once again, he had the upper hand. Beneath his purple hood, his ancient, decrepit face said it all. Glancing down at Luis, then back at Leon, he held firmly onto the sample in one hand, while the other held his living Plaga staff, its tendrils waving in excitement.

"Now that I have the sample, you serve me no purpose," he said calmly, staring once again at the writhing, gasping man.

"Saddler!" Leon screamed in anger, powerless.

The cult leader looked at the American and sneered again. "My boy Salazar will make sure that you suffer the same fate, Mr. Kennedy." Without another word, Saddler turned, his purple robe billowing beneath him, and left just as quickly as he came in. Leon took several steps toward him, then stopped suddenly and quickly kneeled beside Luis, starting to tend to the fallen man.

"Stay with me, Luis!"

_He found me--I have to tell Leon…_

Coughing up blood, he looked up at Leon, his eyes watery and glazing over. "I…am a researcher," he gasped, pain shooting all over his body with each word. "…hired by Saddler. He…found out what I was up to."

"Don't talk," Leon ordered, his teeth gritted.

_Oh, mi amigo…it's too late…_

His vision began to blur and his body was beginning to lose all feeling. Breathing was becoming nearly impossible, and he knew that he had seconds left. With all of his energy, he lifted a hand to fend Leon off, knowing that there was nothing he could do.

"On the ground, I dropped a bottle of pills…" he rasped. Leon turned his head and saw the bottle, just a foot away from him. He grabbed it and showed it to Luis.

"Yes, those," he said, coughing again, blood trickling once more out of his mouth. He could feel the warm liquid on his back, pooling beneath him. "It should suppress growth of the parasite…" He could feel himself becoming lighter, his vision becoming whiter and brighter.

_Grandfather…are you there? _

He turned and looked directly into Leon's eyes, trying to sit up in the process and failing. "The sample--Saddler took it! You have…to get it back!" With that, the last of his strength left him, and he knew it was all over. He felt as if he was being lifted far above himself, and as his eyes closed, his body grew limp, and the last thing he heard as he drew his final breath was Leon screaming the fallen man's name; a loud, angry wail.

_I'm coming, mi abuelo…your grandson is coming to see you…_

Luis Sera was finally free.


	13. Chapter Twelve: Some Contemplation

**Chapter Twelve: Some Contemplation**

Leon Kennedy was huddled over the corpse of Luis Sera, his angry scream echoing off the walls of the large hall. He'd just witnessed murder in the most horrible and grotesque means possible, the murder of someone who had become a valuable ally in this mission that had since gone sour. Rage and anger filled his heart, and a deep desire for revenge quickly entered his mind. Opening his eyes again, his gaze shifted from the bloodied, torn body of the former researcher to the clear bottle of pills in his hand. As he did, the dying last words of Luis came back to him.

_Former researcher…hired by Saddler…found out what I was up to._

It explained much, and yet it was surprisingly simple. Luis had probably felt scorn and regret for his part in all of this, and wanted to make things right, even if it meant his life. And now, here he was, a broken figure, trying to do some good. The medication would be put to good use. With it, Luis gave him more time to complete what he had to do, and now the objective was clear--get that parasite sample back from Saddler. It was something of importance, and whatever it was, Saddler obviously had some use for it, most likely to create more of his stupid pets. And judging by how important it was, it was the least Leon could do for his friend…who died to save him and Ashley.

_They'll pay for your death…I promise._

"Leon!" screamed the familiar voice of Ashley, coming from the ground level of this hall. As Leon got to his feet, he could see the bound figure of Ashley against the wall, bound in the metal bands that encircled her body and pinned her to the wall.

"Ashley!" he called, feeling a bit relieved. No doubt she'd seen the entire terrifying act just a minute ago, something that she would be very happy to forget. "I'm ok! Hold on for just a minute or two longer while I think of a way to get you out of there!"

The room was massive, and there were two ways to go from where he was. On the other side of the hall was a small, single wooden door. About halfway around was what looked like an offshoot, some hall that led to somewhere else. Also around there, a set of steps led down to a landing somewhere between the ground floor and second floor. Still holding the medication in his hand, he twisted off the lid, took out two of the oblong-shaped pills, and quickly tossed them down his throat as if they were M&Ms. He replaced the lid, and then pocketed the bottle. He took one look down at Luis again, and a thought came to his mind. It was wrong, but he knew that Luis could be of some further help. Kneeling down once more, he began to check the pockets of the corpse for ammunition. He was in luck--Luis had a few clips of handgun bullets and a handful of shotgun shells. Also in his possession was his own gun, but could not be salvaged--it was covered in blood, and Leon had no time to clean the weapon for use. A small notebook was among his personal items, and while he couldn't take the time to read it right now, he pocketed it anyway. Getting back onto his feet once again, he checked his surroundings once more and decided that he'd at least free Ashley from her metal bonds. However, there was nothing obvious in the surroundings to indicate a release--no buttons, levers or obvious switches were around. He decided to try the single door on the opposite side, hoping that it would lead down to Ashley's level.

"Just hang in there, Ashley--I'm going to check something," Leon said.

When he got to the door, he reached for the handle and pushed--and the door didn't open. He tried again, and all he heard was a metallic sounding noise from the other side, possibly a lock.

_Shit. Well, that's not gonna work._

With that option gone, it left him only one option--to shoot out and hope that the metal breaks from the force. Walking to the stairs and then down to the landing, he found himself staring directly down at the bound girl. There were three of them, and Leon would have to hit all three right near where they met the wall. It was extremely risky, and there was a chance that he could miss and strike Ashley--and then it was all over; the mission would fail, and Leon would have no further reason to be here. And his life would be over. He smirked as he thought the situation through. Without the advantage of a sniper rifle, he'd have to rely solely on the laser sight of his shotgun. However, with a straight line down and him on the landing, it allowed for a fairly close shot. Regardless, he didn't think his handgun would pack enough force that a hot shell would have. He raised the gun and aimed down.

"Leon?" Ashley asked nervously, staring up at the shotgun pointed at her. "What are you doing?"

"Freeing you," he said calmly. "Don't panic."

_BANG!_

The explosion shot through the air, the gunfire magnified in the tall chamber. Ashley's shrill scream countered, and in her panic, she didn't notice that one of the bonds, the topmost one, was broken. The former cop set himself again, aiming at the one that covered her stomach. His heart was pounding now, a loud drumming in his body that could've been audible. The laser guide traveled up the wall again, finding its mark on the second bond. Before Ashley could collect herself, he fired again, the metal bond breaking almost as soon as he pulled the trigger. The immense panic caused her to press herself against the wall, slamming her eyes shut, and letting out another piercing scream. Leon let out a big sigh.

_One to go…_

"One more," he reassured. "Stand straight against the wall, and I'll get the one that's holding your legs."

She let out a feeble, scared squeak of acknowledgment, and as he raised the shotgun once again, she shut her eyes and waited. The third shot cut through the air, and the shell slammed into the metal, breaking the final bond. As the third bond fell to the floor with a loud metallic clang, Ashley fell forward, stumbling a few steps, disoriented. After regaining her footing, she looked up at her liberator, and a smile crossed both their faces. Meanwhile, internally, Leon was breathing a huge sigh of relief, his heart still pounding.

"Talk about a near death experience," she spoke, her head still a bit frazzled. She was free once again.

"You're welcome," Leon replied. "Any way you can get back up here?"

Ashley looked around. "There's a door here. But other than that, no steps or anything like that.

"Hmm," Leon replied. Somehow, there was a way between here and there, and unfortunately, one of them was going to have to go it alone. However, before Leon could think further, a small portion of one of the walls began to slide open, and two black robed cultists ran from the appearing door, one of the many hidden walls and doors that littered the Salazar castle.

_Damn it! The gunfire must have triggered something!_

Behind the two figures came a red robed acolyte, wearing what looked like a skull helmet--possibly one of the cult leaders. He motioned with his finger, pointing at Ashley and issuing a command in Spanish. The two men in black ran toward her, intent on cutting short her regained freedom.

"Ashley, get out of there!" Leon called out, quickly drawing his handgun. "Head for that door--I'll hold them off!"

Not needing to be told twice, she bolted as fast as her legs could carry her toward the large wooden door. Escape was all that mattered. She could hear the sounds of gunfire coming from above her, but that was secondary right now.

_You won't take me again!_

One of the robed freaks let out a moan of pain as a bullet sliced through the black fabric and into his leg, immediately causing him to fall to the floor, unable to move. The other figure kept running toward her, his face wild and leering. He reached out in an attempt to grab, but was thwarted as a couple more shots hit his body, knocking him to the tile. Several more shots rained down, but that didn't matter as she grabbed the door handle and slammed her weight into the old door, flinging it open. She slammed it shut and then kept running, her mind telling her to flee. Quickly searching the area, she took the only path out of the room, not even bothering to check it, and suddenly found herself inside a long room.

She stopped and listened for any sounds of those monsters, and the only sounds she could hear were of her own heavy breathing and of her heart pounding. For the moment, no one was pursuing her, much thanks to Leon.

_All right, calm down, Ashley--no one's chasing you…you have Leon to thank for that. Again. How many more times is this going to happen before you go home?_

The room itself stretched down for quite a ways, and as her eyes began to adjust to the dim light, she took a few minutes and began to check where she was. Running down the center of the room was a series of tables and desks with some old papers strewn across them, with several bookcases running down the wall to her right. At the opposite end of the room was an open doorway, leading to another section. The area itself had a dank, dusty smell to it, almost as if this section of the castle had been left unoccupied for a long time.

_But it looks like someone was here recently…there's a couple candle lanterns lit. Maybe those freaks who tried to capture me again were just here. Regardless, it looks dark up ahead…I should grab one of these. _

Taking one of the lit lanterns off a table, she slowly moved forward, her eyes scanning everywhere, checking for a possible route back to the hall from where she was, back to Leon. The dark surroundings did little to ease her guarded state of mind, and all the while she remained apprehensive, and as she crossed into the second section of these quarters, she couldn't help feel just a bit nervous. She had to hurry, though. She was alone and completely vulnerable. The fact that she was also unarmed did nothing to relieve her tension. A path to her left was the only way forward. The scared girl held the lantern out in front of her, lighting the way a few feet ahead until she came to an intersection in the path. To her right was a door, and to her left, it looked as if it led to somewhere else, judging from the one or two lit lanterns off in that direction. Deciding to head to the right, she walked toward the door there, and as she opened it slowly, her heart began to beat faster, fear of the unknown starting to creep back inside.

As she entered, she came upon a room that was also empty, but looked as if the walls were set up in some sort of study room setting. Several desks were scattered about the place, but this particular room looked completely forgotten. A couple of the tables looked as if some of the wood had rotted away, some old crates were covered in cobwebs, and the fireplace on the opposite wall also was draped in webbing. The old stone lining the walls had cracked in some places, and time seemed to begin taking its toll here, with ivy and moss growing in several spots. To her left, a passageway seemed to be the only way to go from here, and so she walked, trying not to be afraid.

The study area led into a dark, narrow hall, where the air seemed to be even staler than the previous areas. There was no light here--what Ashley had was it. This realization came to her mind as she took each careful step further and further into the unknown. The place seemed filthy, and the cool air gave made her skin crawl. What she wouldn't give for a nice, hot shower right about now.

_I'm scared…and I'm alone. I'm alone in an unknown place, thousands of miles away from home, my family, my friends…my life. God, and poor Leon, who's trying his hardest to get me to safety…all I'm doing is making it harder for him. If I hadn't run away from him then, I wouldn't have fallen into one of Salazar's traps, and it wouldn't have forced Leon to waste time trying to save me again. We could've been out of here by now!_

The path took a left, and she began to walk a little faster.

_Now I'm the one that has to find a way out of here…I don't want to be alone anymore. What's happening to me? What's going on in my body?_

As the path turned to the right, an empty suit of armor stood against the wall. The left arm stood along its side, while the other held a tall axe. Time, too, seemed to take its toll on it--some of the metal showed signs of rust. She kept moving forward.

_And Luis…killed by that purple robed freak, the same jerk who injected me with that--that thing! That parasite that's swimming through my body, making me cough up blood! His 'gift,' he called it. Luis was helping us, and now he's dead! Am I going to become one of those brainless monsters? _

The path opened into a large square room which was virtually empty. Stopping to check her surroundings, her eyes had adjusted nicely to the dark, and her vision was clear. A pedestal stood in the center of the room, and four stationary suits of armor stood, one in each corner of the room. A door was situated on the opposite side where Ashley entered. There was something creepy about the suits of armor--Ashley couldn't place it, but something was brewing inside her. A premonition? Maybe. They were arranged in such a way so that it looked like each suit of armor was staring at its opposite knight. Just like the one she just saw, each one held a tall axe at their sides. Perhaps she was nervous over nothing, but this place made her feel even more uncomfortable than it already was. The dead silence that hung about this place didn't ease the feeling.

_Just let me find a way out, already! I'm so nervous…what I wouldn't do right now to just be held--someone to hold me close and reassure me that everything will be okay._

Slowly, she crept over to the closest stationary figure, and hoping she wasn't about to do something stupid, she tapped on the knight's chest plate. It was hollow, much to her immediate relief. The girl looked up at the helmet and into the slitted openings for anything that could've been staring back at her, but there was nothing except empty blackness. With her curiosity satisfied, she began walking cautiously toward the door.

_I wish Leon was right here…he makes me feel safe. And all I've done is made his job harder…I wish I could do something to pay him back, something to make him forgive me for being the bitch I've been. Maybe after this is all over…_

As she reached for the handle, she was taken by surprise to discover that there _was_no door handle.

_Odd…_

She checked up and down the door, and after a few seconds of feeling around for a latch, a handle, button, anything, she concluded that she reached a dead end.

_Great. Fucking great._

She turned around; facing toward the hall just came from and began to mentally retrace her steps.

_There was another way to go--there was the way to get here, and another way that I hadn't tried. Might as well go back…and hope._

She checked the candle, and noticed it was starting to get low. The teenager knew that there wasn't much time left before the wick burned all the way through, and when it did, it'd be completely dark. Time was of the essence now. Not wishing to waste any more time standing there, she began to walk out of the room and back into the hall, and once again walking past that first suit of armor. As she prepared to turn the corner, suddenly, without warning, the armor _moved_, suddenly springing to life, lurching forward and raising its sharp axe high into the air.

_What the--_

Before she could continue that thought, the weapon began coming down, and she dodged out of the way, purely reflexive, and stumbled to the ground, knocking the lantern out of her hand in the process. Luckily, the flame didn't go out. She turned her head just in time the heavy blade hitting the stone floor with a loud clang that echoed through the dark hall. A second went by, and Ashley just stood there, rooted to the spot as the empty armor stood frozen in its ending pose--and then immediately fell apart right before her stunned eyes, collapsing like a Jenga tower. Thoughts and rationale quickly spun through her mind as what she just saw began to sink in.

_It just tried to KILL me! No--it couldn't have! That armor was empty! No one was inside it! How--_

The sound of rhythmic clanging coming from the dead end room she just came from snapped her train of thought, and the footfalls were getting closer and louder. Quickly getting to her feet, she shot a glance back in the other direction, she saw to her horror and surprise two of the knights began _walking_ toward her in a steady cadence, their axes held high in the air.

_Impossible!_

How these empty knights were capable of independent motion she'd never know, but yet her mind wanted to know despite fear flooded back into her body, sending a fresh wave of adrenaline through her body. Stunned in disbelief, she couldn't help but stare at the approaching knights.

_RUN, you idiot! _

She didn't need to be told twice. Grabbing the lantern off the ground, she ran back in the direction she came, the darkness seeming to blur by as her legs carried her back through the hallway and into the study room. The flame began to flicker, and she knew that time was running out. Her heart pounding, she stopped for the briefest of moments to check where the door was that led back to the intersection that led her here.

_Just for a few seconds more--_

Denying her request, the last of the flame flickered, and then died, leaving her in pitch black darkness.

"Damn it!" she screamed aloud, slamming the lantern to the ground in her frustration.

And yet the knights kept coming for her, their footsteps unchanging in their pace, growing steadily louder. Now she'd have to rely on her memory, but knew she was now at a horrible disadvantage. What she managed to see before the flame died wasn't much, and she knew that the knights needed no light--or eyes, for that matter. If memory served her, she'd simply go to her right and along the wall till she found the door. Time was the issue--she knew she'd have to move quickly. The frightened girl put her hands out and she began snaking her way through the somewhat labyrinthine layout, her heart beating faster with each metallic step coming closer. Despite the cool air, her body was covered in sweat, but it couldn't be helped--an inconvenience was far worse than getting sliced in half.

Moving as far right as she could go, she walked quickly along the wall, feeling the old stone until her hand came in contact with something that felt like wood.

_Please--please--_

Scrambling, she found the door handle, and pushing with all her strength, she opened the door, slamming it closed when she crossed the threshold. Looking to her left, she could see a small flicker of candlelight in the area that she didn't explore. A small feeling of relief washed over her, but she knew she wasn't out of danger yet. Walking quickly toward the light, she hoped that they didn't know how to open doors--she could still hear their muffled footsteps breaking through the silence.

The room that the flame illuminated, in addition to a couple of other wall lanterns, was just a single room. Unlike what she'd seen thus far since Leon freed her, this place seemed a bit more kept. A couple of display cases were along a wall, and several steps led down to a lower section of the room, complete with a fireplace on the far wall. On the wall to the far left looked like a painting--from a rough look, it appeared to be a shield and two swords plunged into the shield in an x-formation. In front of the painting, a round pedestal stood. She was standing on the dais, contemplating her next move. It was a small room, and she went down the couple of steps toward the pedestal. Upon closer inspection, a handle was sticking out from the round top.

Curious, she gripped the handle and pulled--and to her surprise, the pedestal turned. And as she turned it, something else was happening. The wall with the shield painting on it began to slide into the wall. What she saw when the pedestal could no longer move made her heart leap with happiness--a ladder leading up.

_YES! Maybe I can finally get out of here!_

Wasting no more time, she grabbed the ladder, made sure it was sturdy, and climbed up, careful not to look down in the process. With each passing rung, she could feel herself becoming more and more excited, hopeful that Leon was not too far away now. At the top of the ladder, there was another hallway which went off to her left and right. The right led to an immediate dead end, leaving her only one direction. Her newfound stroke of luck seemed to lift her spirits, as she knew she was now on the second level. She broke out in a jog, following the lit oil lamps that illuminated the way.

_Please, God, let me be close…_

The hall hung a right, and then another right, and still, the only sound she heard was the sound of her own boots hitting the stone floor. A second later, the winding passage took a left, and now she was coming up to yet another door--this one was locked with a simple sliding bolt. Quickly, she slid the bolt and unlocked the door, then pulled the handle, and suddenly was flooded in bright light, shocking her eyes which had been used to the dim, dark recesses of this section of the castle. She took one step into the large, well-lit room, and there he was, standing near the stairs to the lowered platform from where he shot her bonds loose.

_Leon._

Her heart lifted, and for this moment, all feelings of danger melted away as she saw her savior once again. Pure joy filled her heart and a smile crept across her face.

"Leon!" she cried out happily, and began jogging toward him.

He spun around quickly and his eyes widened in happiness. "Ashley!"

The elated girl ran toward him, her arms stretched out wide.

_I'm safe again…_

She slammed into him with some force, wrapping her arms around the relieved agent and staying there for a few seconds, feeling the warm, firm body against hers, the reassurance that everything was ok as he returned the embrace.

_I needed that…_

Leon chuckled. "You did good."

After a second or two, she pulled away, almost reluctantly, and she looked at him with an expression of apology. "Thanks…I'm sorry if I was--"

"Don't worry about it," Leon said calmly, seeing the somewhat repentant look on her face. "The important thing is, you're safe."

She nodded in acknowledgement.

"One thing, though," he began to add.

"Yeah?"

"Don't ever run off on me like that again," he said, a note of firmness in his voice. "You might not get so lucky next time."

"Yes, Leon," she replied, her head slightly bowed in embarrassment. She knew that he was right. After her ordeal with the knights, she was lucky to make it out alive despite being totally unarmed.

_I'm sorry…I won't leave you now._

He put a finger under her chin and lifted her head. "Come on," he said, smiling. His communications device began to beep, and the relieved agent hoped that the incoming call was Hunnigan--maybe she found a way to break into Salazar's disruption and had some good news. As he turned on the device to accept the incoming transmission, he was disappointed once again as the decrepit visage of Salazar came onto the screen. Anger began to replace the temporary happiness felt just moments ago, the memory of Luis' grisly murder still fresh on his mind.

"Aww," Salazar began, his tone of voice slightly mocking. "What a touching moment we have here."

"All spoiled thanks to your interruption," he shot back. "Why don't you do us all a favor and leave before the audience gets pissed off?"

The castellan chuckled. "You're nothing but an extra in my script, so don't get too carried away. Your biggest scene is over."

_Man sure has a way with words._

"I don't ever remember being a part of your crappy script," the agent replied.

"Well, then, why don't you show me what a first-class script is like…through your own actions." With that, Salazar ended the transmission, leaving Leon and Ashley alone once more.

_The asshole surely loves to play games, that's for sure._

He looked at Ashley, a determined look replacing the one of happiness and relief he had a minute ago. The reunion had ended, and now it was time to get back to work. There was still much to be done before Leon and Ashley could go home.

"Let's move on."

**END OF CHAPTER. **Difficult to write this chapter, as getting in Ashley's head is one of the harder things to do while writing this. But it's done now, and so I await any reviews! Look for the next chapter to go up soon.


	14. Chapter Thirteen: Night Flight

**Note: **I'm noticing a lot of people adding this story to their watch list, and that makes me very happy. Now, I hope those new readers jump in and review it. This chapter contains some documents taken from the game, and they'll be indicated in bold.

**Chapter Thirteen: Night Flight**

_As you may have heard, Luis Sera has been disposed of by Lord Saddler. The "sample" is back where it belongs. I had hoped that the whole matter could be resolved without troubling the Lord. However, as long as the "sample" is safe we can all rejoice, for our time is nearly at hand. Now that the "sample" is back in our safe hands, it'll be a bit more difficult for that troublesome woman to get it. In light of all this, it's unfortunate that Sera had to go. Like us, he would have had a bright future if only he had shown more faith in our beliefs. As for the other two Americans, the Lord has left the matter in our hands. We must not disappoint the Lord. We shall capture Ashley and take her to the Lord… and dispose of the American agent._

_Great. Fucking great. Yet another big circle. Yet another big waste of time._

Clearly frustrated, there as nothing he could do about it now. They had found themselves back almost where they began some time ago--at the main entrance hall of Salazar's castle, the exact spot where Leon and Ashley met the diminutive freak, flanked by his two monstrous, inhuman bodyguards. As it turned out, there was a small rail car that led from the central hall where Ashley was bound to another entrance into the main hall. This time, something was different. With Ashley following right behind the agent, Leon stepped out into the open space, re-familiarizing himself with the large, tall chamber.

Leon noticed that before, in their first meeting with Salazar, a wall had come up beneath the balcony from which he stood, blocking the two and beginning to lead them in this large circle, wasting precious time and causing Ashley to be trapped in the process. The wall was gone now, and the rest of the hall was opened up.

_Finally. The direct route._

Without a word, Leon jogged toward the unexplored section of the entrance hall, Ashley following close behind. The wall had blocked off another large section of the hall that looked like the previous section, and straight ahead, the stone tiled floor gave way to purple carpeting, leading up a small staircase and to a set of double doors. To his right, a set of stairs led somewhere above, most likely to the balcony where Salazar stood. He probably came through here after barricading the way in their first encounter.

"Wait," he ordered, holding up a hand. Raising his handgun up near his face, he turned the handle and pressed against the entrance slowly. As he opened the double doors, he found himself back outside, the cool night air blowing a slight breeze. He was standing on a landing platform, and just a few feet ahead was another rail car. Having no alternative, he was hoping against hope that he'd actually progress. Where the car went, he didn't know, but what he did want was for the transport to have power.

"All clear," he said, and Ashley was on the platform in a second.

"Another one?"

"Yeah," Leon replied. "Maybe we'll get somewhere." He took several steps toward the car, then opened the small door.

"Ladies first," he said, gesturing for her to get in and sit down.

Ashley smiled and reciprocated, taking a seat on the comfy red leather. "Thanks." Leon followed and sat down opposite Ashley, closing the door. Next to the door was a small red button, just like the car they'd taken a couple minutes ago. He pushed it, and the car jerked to life, beginning its course along the railway. He didn't know how long it'd be, most likely a minute or two, so he fished out the small notebook he found on Luis' person. He was hoping that Luis left him some sort of clue or some snippet of information that would prove helpful. The first few pages contained a few drawn sketches of various microscopic biological organisms, with some quick scrawl as to what they were. They were identified as _Dicrocoelium, Galactosomum, _and_ Leucochloridium. _Each of them were accompanied with descriptions, and from what Leon gleaned, these were various types of parasites.Following those first few pages, he came upon a block of written text; Leon was relieved to see that the writing was in English. Finding a translator here could be a little rough. The writing itself looked like it was hastily written, almost as if he was in a hurry. Maybe he was. So he read:

_**The first castellan buried the Las Plagas deep underground below the castle to hide their very existence. When the eighth castellan Salazar released the Las Plagas, no one thought he could bring them back to life…because when Salazar found them, they were all just fossilized remains. Everyone knew that the parasitic organisms could not survive without their hosts--that they couldn't sustain life on their own. However, when Salazar and his men excavated the remains, it almost appeared as if the Las Plagas were just waiting to be discovered so that they could resurrect. Several years later, unexplainable convulsions started occurring among the villagers who helped with the excavation of the Las Plagas. Then one day, all of a sudden, these villagers turned into violent savages.**_

_**They later found out it was caused by the Las Plagas. Although they appeared fossilized, they were able to survive the long years by lying in a dormant state at the cellular level, remaining in a spore-like form. Apparently during the excavation, the villagers inhaled the spores and within their bodies the parasites became active again. This is how the Las Plagas were resurrected. Even as I'm writing, the excavation of the Las Plagas continues. God only knows how many of these Plagas have been resurrected, not to mention the countless number of Ganados that have been created. Their inhumane activity must be put to an end. If they are not stopped, people around the world could turn into victims of this crazy cult organization.**_

Fascinated and very much interested in the material, he didn't see that the car was gliding back into the interior of the castle, and almost didn't hear Ashley's voice breaking the train of thought, telling him that they were approaching a stop. Looking behind him, he confirmed it--another landing was coming into view as the car made a final turn to the left. Slowing down, he put the small notebook back in one of his pockets and prepared to disembark.

_That means that there's a mine, a cave, or some sort of underground excavation site near here. Along with that, there was probably some sort of scientific laboratory as well. Somehow, I don't think Umbrella had a hand here--they're not one to utilize cults and religions…no, they're much more tactical and not so crude…but god only knows if they did get their hands on one of these Plagas…_

The car finally came to a stop, and without a word, Leon opened the door to let Ashley out, and then he followed suit. The landing itself had a touch of class to it, unlike what he'd seen a couple minutes ago. First of all, it was very brightly lit--candelabras lined the shined, polished walls, possibly made of marble. Marbled stonework lined the walls in certain places, giving it an air of elegance. Two painted portraits of people hung on opposite ends of the wall. It looked exquisite. Perhaps the two were standing at some sort of royal sanctuary, an area only frequented by the upper class of the Salazar family. From Luis' writings, this place definitely had some history.

As the two opened the door and stepped inside, they found themselves standing inside the annex of the castle, lit by candles and lanterns coming out from the walls, casting a warm glow on the walls and intricately patterned carpeting that lined the floor here.

"Wow…" Ashley whispered to herself, her eyes gazing from wall to wall upon a sight she hadn't seen. Not even the White House looked quite as decorated. Paintings of mostly people took up most of the wall space in this chamber. They were of all shapes and sizes, and all of them looked like some sort of nobility judging by their manner of dress. Some were faded from time, and most likely the men, women, and children displayed were all part of the Salazar line at some point in history, generations upon generations. The only sound was silence.

_Talk about a large family…leave it to the only surviving boy to access the family jewels._

While Ashley took in the scene, Leon took a look around for his next course of action. To his right, a hall led to a small gathering area some distance away. To his immediate left was a door, and straight ahead was some sort of path that quickly turned to the right. However, he noticed that there was a line of red carpet that began where they stood and followed the course straight ahead.

_Bit obvious. Let's see where the royal chambers lead. Hopefully I don't get a red carpet treatment._

He walked ahead, and after a few seconds of following the rug, the two came upon a massive clearing, a long expanse of the annex that was easily a couple hundred feet across. It was massive. Along the right, four tall windows stretched high and wide, starting from a couple feet off the ground and nearly touching the ceiling. Burgundy colored curtains draped the sides of each window. Each window was open wide, allowing the cool night breeze to filter in, causing the curtains to billow and sway. In addition to the several candelabras lining the room, the light of the bright moon shined in, mixing in with the soft glow of candlelight. Along the left, four giant stone statues were firmly in place, each one looking as if they were staring out the window and out to the mountains beyond that were silhouetted in night. At the opposite end of the annex, a tall set of double doors stood.

Working quickly, Leon and Ashley jogged across the long chamber, trying to make up for lost time. Leon knew that he could ill afford another long detour, despite taking the medication given to him by Luis. Ashley too had also taken some of the medication on the rail car back to the main hall of the castle. He didn't know how long the medication was good for, but he couldn't waste the extra time given to him. He opened the door at the end of the room, and quickly found himself in another hallway. This time, it didn't look quite as royal and elegant as the annex they just came from.

_What the hell happened here? _

The royal touch of elegance that permeated the area before gave way to a bit of decay, a section that time forgot, much like a good part of the castle so far. The intricate designs on the carpet looked dirty, evidently stained. The stone walls along the hall were cracked and broken in spots. Up fifty feet or so ahead, Leon noticed that the hall led to an opening of sorts, and as they walked through the hall, they came upon an area that was littered in broken glass. Three windows on the right side were completely broken, and all that was standing was some remnants of metal work that was used to hold the window panes in. Some of the metal itself was gnarled and bent, looking as if someone or something tried to break in or out.

_Judging by the looks of it, someone tried to break into the hall here, judging by all the glass on the floor. Best to be careful._

"Be careful, Ashley," Leon said, not liking the looks of things. "Stay very close."

"Uh huh," she replied, getting as close to him as she could without walking over him. After the recent events, she did not want to fall into another trap. She'd stick to him like glue if she could. Slowly, they walked toward the open area, the broken glass crunching under their feet as they went. Crossing the threshold into the open area--

--and Leon stared in wide-eyed surprise as something new and sickening greeted his eyes, thoroughly shocked. A second later, Ashley saw it and audibly let out a groan of pure disgust. They came into a massive circular room with a tall dome ceiling with stained glass panes circling the perimeter, which was broken in several places. In fact, several chunks of the ceiling were gone, creating holes where the moonlit sky could be visible. The floor itself was mostly gone--quite literally gone, as in, missing. In its place was black nothingness, a bottomless abyss. What cohesive sections of the floor remained formed a path that crossed the diameter of this once used ballroom or entertainment area, and also led to a single door that was ninety degrees clockwise from where Leon and Ashley stood. Regardless, it wasn't the completely ruined area, the missing chunks of floor, or the other ravages of time that fell upon this once proud place.

It was the massive _hive_ that hung down from the ceiling; a huge, sickly throbbing mass of slick matter that was almost as tall as the entire ballroom. Easily twenty or so feet around, this gross aberration stretched almost to the floor, just stopping seven or eight feet from the ground. Staring at this hive, Leon saw that it was pulsating, throbbing and breathing as if it were very much alive. It definitely sounded like it was, the way the membranous skin glistened, bulged, and emitted sick, sloppy noises as some horrible monstrosity of an insect was getting ready to break free of the towering cocoon-like thing.

_Better get out of here before something hatches._

Breaking out into a jog, Leon ran in the middle of the narrow section of floor, with Ashley running in tandem. On the wall behind him, high up on the domed ceiling, a creature was looking down, and noticed the two figures running toward the hive unaware of its presence. It blended seamlessly into the background, the result of much research, genetic experiments and mutation. Lying in silence, the creature waited for a second, then it spread its long insect-like wings, and finally threw itself off the glass, hurtling itself with incredible speed toward the duo. It readied its long, segmented limbs as if to grab something. It emitted a loud, piercing shriek as it closed in, catching the two of them off guard. Leon saw it before she did, and suddenly, Ashley felt this tremendous force slam into her back, then saw tough, scaly limbs wrap themselves around her before she could hit the floor.

_NO!_

All this happened in a split second, and almost instantly, Ashley was taken soaring into the air, high above Leon and screaming at the top of her lungs. Leon aimed and fired several bullets quickly at the escaping creature, but it was to no avail.

"Damn it! Ashley!"

A second later, the flying monster flew through a hole in the dome, and Ashley was out of sight, screaming helplessly into the night. Once again, she'd been captured--this time, through no fault of her own, but through one of Saddler's flying freaks.

_SADDLER!_

Before the angered American could even attempt pursuit, he could hear the excited chattering of the winged aberrations coming up from below him, and rising up into view were three of the Novistadors, the very same creatures Leon encountered in the underground prisons. Once again, they were ready to give him hell.

_Great. More of them._

The three flew towards Leon, their eyes bright with anticipation, and exuding a clear, viscous drool from where their mouths should be. A fourth one was on its way up from the abyss, but the three present were blocking his path. Leon holstered the handgun and grabbed the shotgun, cocking it. The first one flew at him, raising one of its sharp claws, ready to slice. Feeling rage boil up inside him, he put his finger on the trigger. Without another word, he ran into the fray and opened fire.

Knowing she had to stay one step ahead of the game, she also knew she had to remain close to Leon's location at all times. Mostly, it was for the sake of her mission and sole objective--to get back the Plaga sample from Saddler. Leon, poor boy, had to remain as the higher priority diversion here…Ada's shield, if you will. No doubt that Saddler and company were aware of her presence now. They were stupid, but they weren't that stupid. When they realized Luis had the sample, they knew another party was involved. No matter--she would just continue and try to provide hidden support for Leon. She couldn't deny the human connection any longer--she had to keep Leon alive, not just for the sake of the objective…but for her as well. Why fight the old feelings? Now that she'd come to grips with it, it would no longer weigh heavily on her mind. Seeing what had happened to Luis and the fate he met, she was determined not to let him meet the same unfortunate end that the Spaniard experienced.

_Collateral damage, _she thought, an unfortunate circumstance of such a mission. _Lives are going to be sacrificed to accomplish the goal._ While she manipulated Luis to play out his own part, she did have to admit that his sudden death did set her back a little bit. After all, she lost the man who knew this area well, who worked with and for Saddler--the inside man, if you will. However, she'd manage. Wesker provided her with all the information she needed to know, but he too was a prick. Wesker had his own selfish goals and aspirations, the intent on reviving the hopeless cause that was Umbrella. How Leon's demise fit into his grand scheme she wasn't completely sure, but tough shit. She had to--no, _needed to--_keep him alive.

She'd been standing atop the clock tower watching the goings on below when she heard the shrill scream coming from somewhere in the night. Using her binoculars, she'd looked off in the direction of the sound, and noticed that one of Saddler's flying insect creatures was on its way toward the bridge, holding the limp, fainted body of the President's daughter.

_Hmm…looks like they got her again. That means Leon's coming through here soon…_

There was an influx of the robed cultists coming from the bridge leading to what appeared to be an entrance hall. Most likely, Salazar was in there, knowing that Leon was due to come through here, especially now that the girl was re-captured. Salazar probably knew this and was sending some more of his lemmings to try to fend off the agent. Some of them were even armed--Ada could spot a few carrying crossbows and flails. A small commotion was going on as the Novistador was coming in to land, being careful not to crush the girl. A few of the black robed acolytes were gathering around the girl, muttering excitedly to themselves as they managed to waken her and get her on her feet. Through her binoculars, she could see that Ashley was definitely drained of energy, her eyes bloodshot and her face drenched from panicked tears. Quickly, one of them took her arms and placed them behind her while another handed him some rope to bind her wrists together. The buzzing creature, no longer needed, flew away from the landing and back off into the night.

Her observations were interrupted when her communications device beeped.

_Of course._

She grabbed the device and powered it on, and once again, the emotionless face of Wesker came into view, his black-gloved hands folded in front of his face.

"You again?" she began.

"Report, Ada," he replied firmly.

"I found Luis," she began again. "Unfortunately, I was a bit too late."

"Did you retrieve the sample?

"No. Saddler has it." Wesker leaned back in his chair, his face showing no change of emotion.

"There will be another opportunity soon enough," he said after a few seconds. "Have you had a chance to eliminate Leon?"

_You wish. _"Not yet."

"If that's the case, then maybe we can capitalize on his little lucky streak and take advantage of the distraction he's causing for Saddler and his followers." He leaned forward again, and he moved his hands away from his mouth. "Retrieve the sample."

Before Ada could acknowledge, the transmission ended, and just like that, she was alone once again. She sighed, passing him off as just a nuisance and an interruption. Raising her binoculars once again, she fixed her gaze back on the bridge from the clock tower to Salazar's hall, and noticed that the little man himself was walking across it, flanked on both sides by his monster bodyguards, each holding a sharp, pointy spear. She knew full well what they were--and they certainly weren't human.

_Verdugos…_

Slaves to Salazar and the Plagas, they lived to serve the Los Illuminados. Powerful, hulking beings, they were very capable of dispatching anyone and anything at Salazar's command. Clearly, they were not to be reckoned with.

Crouching lower, she adjusted herself from her vantage point to avoid detection; however, with control back in Salazar's possession, his attention was squarely focused on the girl that landed back in his hands. When he got to the clock tower side, he began having some words with the small group of cultists who had assembled, most likely giving orders in Spanish. Not well versed in the language, Ada couldn't understand what he was saying, but she was sure that it definitely had to do with Ashley, and most likely with Leon as well. At times, Ashley tried to resist her captivity, but it was to no avail. She was surrounded.

The assassin watched the scene for a couple minutes more, and it had appeared that their conversations were at an end. With a gesture, the cultists left to get ready to attack the approaching American. The black-robed Verdugo prodded Ashley forward with a tap from its spear, leading her forward, back toward the diminutive Salazar's hall. The castellan followed, and in the rear, the red-robed Verdugo protected the group. They walked in single file back toward the hall.

_Better get a move on soon--things are going to get real ugly around here. _

Scanning the area once more, she panned over to her right, expecting to see Leon come outside any minute.

And she was rewarded. He'd shut the door behind him, and then stopped and leaned against the door, his back facing her, breathing heavily. A sly smile began to form on her face as she looked him over through her binoculars.

_Nice ass, Leon…_

Not aware that someone was admiring his body, he took another few seconds to breathe as the adrenaline was draining away. Luckily, the Novistadors weren't as much of a problem in well-lit areas as they were in darkness, where their ability to camouflage themselves didn't do much good if Leon visibly saw it. All he did was blast away the one directly in his path and kept running, not wishing to waste any more ammunition. As it stood, he had about ten shotgun shells left and was hoping to find more. His break was interrupted by his communications device beeping, and he had a very good idea who was on the other end. Not waiting for it to continue beeping, he accepted the call, and sure enough, Salazar was on the other end, beaming.

"I wonder if you can see me, Mr. Kennedy," Salazar began.

"If you scratch her, I'll break your bones!" Leon shot back, clearly angry. He fought off the urge to slam the phone to the ground. It wasn't the phone he wanted to pulverize.

"First, we'll see if you can make it this far," Salazar calmly replied, his voice mocking, goading, urging Leon on.

"Damn you and your stupid games, _asshole_!" the agent yelled. He grabbed his binoculars from his belt and looked out toward the clock tower in front of him. Seeing nothing, he turned his gaze quickly to the tower's right--just in time to see Salazar and his company walking into another section of the castle grounds, with Ashley at the head. Behind her was one of his bodyguards, then the asshole himself followed by another of his pals.

"Shit!"

The visage of Salazar kept grinning on the video phone, knowing he was dangling the carrot in front of his American adversary.

"I'll be waiting," were his last words before the screen went black.

She heard the entire brief chat from her vantage point. Really, it was a pity. She knew full well that he was about to get caught up in another melee, and she couldn't do anything to help. Not that she wanted to take a bullet for him, but she _was _on a mission. The more she could do to help expedite things, the quicker this could all end. Getting ahead and dispatching enemies for him was certainly a help for both of them.

_Sorry, Leon…I can't be seen with you._

The woman knew that these things had to be done delicately, all with precision and smoothness. She liked that approach of manipulation and deception much better than the other ass Wesker hired for this mission, Jack Krauser. Krauser was probably shooting shit somewhere for the hell of it. His methods involved brute force and nothing else. He'd much rather solve anything by ripping it apart...his methods are sloppy.

_Jack Krauser has been the subject of extensive study and research by the organization._

_His skills and personality have been tested both on and off the battlefield .If he were the best, he would become a liability that would jeopardize the rest of us. My conclusion? He's a great soldier...no more, no less. Motivated by greed and power, the scum…as long as he's well compensated, he shouldn't cause any problems for us. If he does start to get restless...I can take care of him. I've studied his combat style and can deal with that arm of his, if necessary._

_Krauser answers directly to Wesker, and it was Wesker who decided that Krauser should be sent to spy on the cult. He also decided to sent me along…I wonder if it wasn't to keep an eye on Krauser. No doubt Krauser has already fallen to the temptation of Las Plagas, and the power they represent. This could have dire consequences for the organization. On some level however, this may be a necessary development, as his role is to disrupt this farce of a play. That said, the stage in this play will ultimately come crashing down in the end...bad luck for him. However, he'll play the patsy in the end and take the fall for all of us. That's why I need to make sure things keep going exactly as they are..._

**END OF CHAPTER. **Keep the reviews coming!


	15. Chapter Fourteen: Salazar's Right Hand

**Chapter Fourteen: Salazar's Right Hand**

**Knowing that Sr. Ramon Salazar has no family, Lord Saddler must have used his strong faith in the Los Illuminados to his advantage to talk Sr. Salazar into undoing the seal of the Las Plagas once done by his ancestor. Sr. Salazar would never do such a thing unless he was in some way being used unknowingly. I should have sensed the Lord's dirty scheme sooner. I feel I'm partly responsible for all of this. I have no idea as to what the Lord is planning but Sr. Salazar was just being used. It is too late now however, Sr. Salazar has already taken the Plaga into his body. There is no turning back once the Plaga has turned into an adult in the body. The Plaga parasite will not die unless the host dies. There's no cure. Perhaps, Sr. Salazar may have been vaguely aware of the Lord's plan all along. But it's so hard to tell. Nevertheless, there's nothing I can do about it now. I have served the Salazar family for generations. I am prepared to continue my services until the very end.**

**--**_**excerpt from a diary belonging to a butler for the Salazar family**_

He had realized once again how wonderfully handy a flail was when several of the shrouded freaks were surrounding him. Still having his melee weapon that he picked up ages ago, it seemed, it was very useful given that he wanted to use as little ammunition as possible. An excellent close proximity weapon, it helped get him to where he was now--back inside, and in another section of Salazar's massive estate. Only now, he was running toward the end of a long hallway, traveling up several flights of stairs to get to the raised area leading up to the large wooded double doors. He hoped he hadn't lost too much ground on Salazar and company, but if he was starting to know the decrepit, manipulative bastard, he was probably very close by, deliberately staying just ahead of Leon enough to be able to toy with him. The longer he could draw this out, the less likely he was leaving with Ashley. As he got close to the door, he could hear some noises coming from the other side--one voice. The high-pitched tone was all Leon needed.

_Salazar. I've cornered you now, you fucker._

Emboldened and confident, he stepped into the chamber, and found himself in a small chamber. Directly in front of him was Salazar, sitting on a small throne, looking directly at the intruder as if expecting him. To his right, Leon's left, Salazar's two bodyguards stood one on each side of the kneeling Ashley, who was whimpering. Their spears were arranged in such a way so that one blade was directly in front of and behind her neck, ready to kill her if Leon so much as made a heroic attempt.

"Leon!" Ashley cried out, her voice quivering with total fear.

"Well, well, well, Mr. Kennedy," said Salazar, his hands folded on his lap. Leon took several steps toward the short man, his hands balling themselves into fists as anger began to fill inside.

"Let...her…go," Leon said through gritted teeth. "Or I'll shoot you right here."

Salazar's pale, wrinkly face looked at Leon with a sly grin. He chuckled. "Mr. Kennedy, don't you know when it's time to throw in the towel?" No sooner did he finish the sentence when he raised one finger and pressed a button on an arm of his chair, and suddenly, the agent's face showed surprise as the floor gave way beneath him. Suddenly, he was falling, falling rapidly into darkness, falling to certain death, hearing Ashley scream his name as the chamber rapidly faded from view. Quickly, he reached around and grabbed a grappling gun from his belt.

_Not falling for this old trick!_

He fired, and a metal grapple attached to a rope flew from the device, up, up, and up. Leon knew what was coming next, and prayed that the hook would stop his freefall to certain death. A second later, the hook was scraping against the wall, and finally, it caught itself on a stone ledge, gripping tight. The line went taut, and his body jerked to a stop, but he held on to the grappling gun. The sudden momentum stop caused his flail to dislodge itself from his belt, and it continued the journey down. It hit something with a dull thud, then found itself on the ground. Suddenly silent, save for the pounding in his heart, he braced his feet against the dark stone wall and turned his head downward. He saw the flail hit what Leon would've landed on--a series of sharp spikes protruding up from the ground, directly where the pit emptied out. Looking up at him with eyes wide open was a corpse that had been impaled in several places, the jagged spikes covered in dried blood. The face of the cultist was forever frozen in fear, its mouth in the shape of an O.

Up above, the whimsical castellan sat upright in his chair, holding a tube or some audio device to his ear, his expression curious.

"Hmm? Where's the satisfying sound of one's impalement?" he asked, looking over in Ashley's direction. In the passage hanging on by the grapple, Leon pulled out his handgun and aimed at an object several feet above him--a metal thing in the form of a megaphone. A mischievous smile came to Leon, and he fired off one bullet, hitting the megaphone-like device square with a loud ping. The sharp sound traveled through and straight into Salazar's ear, causing him to jump. Instantly, his triumphant expression showed immediate anger, and he jumped off his chair, balling his fists in rage.

"How dare you! No more games!" The angry man stamped his feet in complete and utter annoyance, looking like a child throwing a tantrum. He flashed a look to his hulking bodyguards. "Kill him!"

The one in red tilted its head at its master.

"KILL!" Salazar shrieked hysterically, gesturing wildly toward an exit.

On command, the red-robed figure began walking toward the exit, intent on fulfilling its master's wishes. As it did, the mad Spaniard began walking in a different direction, waving his arm curtly at the remaining black figure.

"Quickly! We shall prepare for the ritual!"

The remaining monster prodded Ashley to her feet, and once again, she was being taken to somewhere unfamiliar. Before they exited, Ashley took one final look at the hole in the floor, and despite the current situation, a smile tried to form across her face.

"Leon…you're still alive."

A minute or two later, Leon was back on solid ground, but the area he nearly died in was rife with fetor and decay. The smell of death invaded Leon's senses, but it wasn't overpowering--it mixed in with the cold, damp chill, just enough to let him know that death was always nearby. Dimly lit to begin with, he turned on his belt light. It looked like he was in a sewer or a sort of drainage system somewhere, for a steady flow of water was coming from above him and down into the pit. Nearby was a ladder leading up to somewhere else, and it looked to be the only way forward. Littered along the slick stone ground were several bodies in various stages of decomposition. Most of them looked like they were former cultists, some impaled on the spikes in the center, and some that looked like they took some injuries and were left here to die.

_So this is what happens when one of their own disobeys or Salazar has no further use for them…makes excommunication seem like time-out._

He spotted the flail that fell, and as he was picking it up, his video phone beeped once again.

_I get a signal down here? Cool. Let's see what he wants now._

Pushing the talk button, a clearly nonplussed and furious Salazar came into view, glaring at the smirking American.

"So maybe you have nine lives, but it doesn't matter now, Mr. Kennedy!"

"Aww, no more games," Leon replied sarcastically.

"The game is over for you. I've sent my right hand to dispose of you," Salazar shot back, pointing a finger at the marked man.

"Your right hand comes off?" Leon joked, attempting to have a little fun at his host's expense.

Salazar was unimpressed. "Say whatever you please. _DIE, YOU WORM!"_ He raised his hands in anger, and quickly slammed them down on the device he was transmitting from, and suddenly static replaced him, ending the transmission.

_So much for conceding defeat. Ah, well. Best move on…whatever his 'right hand' was, I don't want to be around to find out._

Putting the device back, he proceeded to make his way up the ladder, and climbed up to a metal platform that was covered in moving water. It wasn't deep, but it was moving to where Leon just was. As he made his way upstream, he passed several drain pipes jutting out from the walls that were also releasing water into the drainage. Some seconds later, he came to a small raised section of the corridor, and he opened a door which let him into an empty hallway. The floor itself was one long metal grate, and he could see more water passing underneath him.

_Looks abandoned…_

Breaking into a jog, he pressed forward through the slightly curving corridor, passing several signs with arrows indicating direction. He came upon a branch, an arrow indicating where to go. Possibly significant, he turned made a right to investigate where the arrow led.

The arrow led to a single room, a control room of sorts that was illuminated by a single candle sitting on a small square table with two chairs around it.

_Someone was here recently._

Several bulky machines were alongside the wall, possibly control panels which had long since been rejected, evidenced by rust forming on the metal. To the far right corner, a large cylindrical structure, most likely a generator stood, inactive. Dead ahead on the other end of the room was an elevator shaft, but without the elevator. Where the elevator led, Leon had no idea. He walked further into the area, and saw that there were two tall canisters standing upright about the room--the types of containers that looked like they held some sort of gas, almost like the ones that stored helium for balloons at gift and card shops. The metal outside also showed rust and neglect, but there was some writing on the canister. It was faded, but legible. It was marked as LN2.

_Liquid nitrogen? What the hell would liquid nitrogen be doing here? There a freezer or something nearby? _

Regardless of the reason, it served no purpose to Leon at the moment. He walked over to the elevator shaft, and saw the control panel. Pushing the call button, he found out to his dismay that nothing happened. He pushed it a second time.

_Power must be out…I'll have to find another way._

A second later, a loud metal crashing noise coming from somewhere back in the hall alerted Leon, and quickly, he drew his gun and ran back out into the hallway toward the direction of the noise. He stopped at the intersection of the main corridor, stopped, and listened. Seconds passed. There was no further noise, other than the ambient sound of flowing water beneath the agent. Shrugging it off, he decided to move further up the main hall for another way forward, or maybe he'd find some sort of circuit breaker or power switch that'd get the elevator working.

Passing another liquid nitrogen tank, the corridor gently curved to the right, whereupon he came across to the end of the passage and into an area with more equipment and machinery. In the center, directly in front of Leon, two generators sat side by side, enclosed by a metal fence with a sign indicating high voltage. Some of the panels looked to be a bit operational, evidenced by several lit buttons and switches. None of them looked like some sort of circuit breaker or power switch, though. He sensed he was close, though--it sure looked like something would be here, given the obvious evidence of the two fairly large generators. He walked cautiously deeper into the generator room, his body in a state of heightened alert after hearing the sudden noise a minute ago. Walking around the perimeter yielded nothing except another canister of the liquid nitrogen. There were no other doors--he reached a dead end. The elevator was the only way to proceed forward from this power station. In the far right corner of the room was a large brown box jutting out from the wall. On it was a big red lever.

_Bingo._

Walking over, he pulled the red handle down to the on position, and a second later, he could hear the winding up of equipment as electricity flowed through. The two generators in the room kicked on, humming to life as more lights on the panels lit up. Now he could take the elevator to parts unknown and continue on. Suddenly to his right, a metal shutter came sliding down the entryway where he entered, slamming itself closed. Next to it, a light glowed red.

_Hmm…_

Walking quickly back, he checked out the panel next to the shutter and pressed the green button above it. Nothing happened.

_Shit…place must be temporarily locked down for some sort of safety reason. Somehow, this scene seems familiar…I have a sneaking feeling I know what happens next._

No sooner did he spin around did a massive black _thing_crash loudly through a ventilation shaft in the ceiling, landing on its disgusting black limbs just feet away from the agent.

_Dear god…what the fuck are you?!_

It was a tall, monstrous beast, a good two feet taller than Leon. The product of horrible genetic experiments, the creature before him sported tremendous bulk and muscle. Its skin was made of hard exoskeleton which covered the humanoid figure from disgusting head to sharp claws for toes. Its long, gnarled arms ended with sharp claws for hands, capable of quickly slashing its prey for a quick and painful death. The monster had a long, segmented, prehensile tail that aided in its agility. At the end of it, a sharp scythe-like blade actually was grown _into_its body. Its black head looked like an insect's, with two glowing, bright orange eyes. Where its mouth was contained sharp mandibles that could bite and tear, with viscous fluid dripping onto the stone floor. This was one of Salazar's bodyguards; unmasked, un-shrouded, unrobed. Salazar's right hand.

Verdugo.

_How did I know? How the fucking hell did I know?_

And now here he was, trapped in a tiny space with this freakish thing whose sole intent was to kill the American, and do it quickly. Leon holstered his handgun, knowing that his shotgun would be the only thing he had against the creature. He knew he was running low, only having about ten or so shells left. Before Leon could even get a shot off, the massive creature _sprinted_toward him, letting out a raspy growl. With one clawed limb, he swiped--and Leon dodged, missing by inches. Quickly, he ran past the creature, spun, and fired the shotgun at the monster's back from point-blank range--and the hot slug ricocheted off its back, ineffective.

_What the fuck--!?! It doesn't work!_

The surprised agent's heart began to pound as the sudden shock hit him.

_The exoskeleton's like armor!_

Less than a second later, the monster was back on its feet. Leon ran, but didn't have much room to run. He was trapped in every sense of the word. As long as that shutter was down, there was quite literally, no escape. He could hear the rapid clacking of its claws running behind him, easily able to outrun Leon, moving to block his way. It roared again, and suddenly, the creature's tail shot out at him, the sickle-like blade flying toward his face. Leon dove out of the way, falling to the cold, hard floor. He fired again from the ground, and this time, the shell hit the creature squarely on the chest, causing the sick freak to stumble backwards a few steps as a result of the tremendous force. Knowing he had just a few seconds, his body was beginning to fill itself with fear and the instinct to flee.

_I'm NOT going to die! Not here, not like this!_

Getting up, he ran back toward the switch box and around the fencing that surrounded the generators, now humming loudly as thousands of volts of electricity coursed through them. Attempting to put as much distance between him and it, he ran toward the door, but was quickly diverted when he saw the monster _leaping_ through the air, over the generators and at him, letting out another raspy, grating shriek that sounded like scraping metal. As it was coming down, it raised one of its long, twisted arms and began to swipe downward, right at Leon's head--

--and he dove out of the way, but he wasn't fast enough, as one of the sharp claws caught him on his side, ripping cleanly through the black tactical shirt and into his skin, sending a fresh, sharp wave of pain shooting up his side as the knifelike claw dug into his body. He yelled in pain, and he had no time to look at the damage. He did feel something _move_inside him, but now wasn't the time to stop and think. Sweat ran down his face, and his heart was pounding, and his mind began to scream at him, screaming for an escape. For the first time, _panic_was seeping into his body, and suddenly the idea of him not coming out of this alive was very real, and very present.

_NO! Not here!_

A loud beep shot through the air, and to Leon's immense relief, the shuttered door began to open once again, giving Leon the escape he wanted, _needed_ to get to.

_Oh, thank god…_

Quickly looking around, he saw the canister of liquid nitrogen. He'd still have to get past this freak, which at the moment was blocking the narrow path to the door. Scrambling to his feet and fighting the sharp pain in his side, he made a dash for the canister as the creature readied himself for another attack. He grabbed the top of the canister and pulled the heavy weight down, hoping to simply obstruct the monster long enough to give him a precious second or two to run down the hall and down the elevator shaft. A loud clang filled the room when the weighty bulk of the canister hit the floor--and suddenly, the top valve of the canister broke off, and a loud hiss filled the air as pent-up pressure began to rapidly escape, forcing the canister to wave and move violently on the ground. The contents within began to shoot in all directions, a clear, super cold liquid that froze anything it touched. The liquid nitrogen sprayed all over the Verdugo, and Leon looked in amazement as the wave of freezing matter began to stop the creature dead in its tracks, but clearly trying to fight it off. Leon saw his opportunity, and knew it was going to be now or never. Grabbing the shotgun once more, he opened fire and fired several shells in rapid succession, screaming as he did so.

Each shell ripped into the weakened exoskeleton, ripping away massive chunks of the body, spraying a black, viscous liquid along the walls and equipment, and finally knocking the creature to the floor. Quickly reloading the firearm with the last of his shells, the creature gurgled and began to come to life again as the liquid nitrogen quickly evaporated, and Leon saw his chance to run. He leaped over the fallen creature and bolted out the door, his feet slamming against the metal grating. He only had a couple of seconds between him and it before the monster came to its feet and ran out the door with renewed energy, sprinting toward the escaping agent, letting out an angry scream.

_And he's still not dead…_

Knowing its weakness now, he ran past the nitrogen tank in the hall, and as the hellish nightmare was gaining on him, he turned around and fired a shell at the tank, hitting the top of the canister with a loud, metallic _ping_. The force blew off the rusted metal valve once more, and another wave of freezing nitrogen shot through the air as the canister wobbled and flailed on the ground, spraying the creature once more causing him to stop in his tracks. Reaching to his belt, he grabbed his final grenade and pulled the pin.

_Looks like Salazar just lost his hand._

He lobbed the grenade at the struggling beast, and then ran as fast as he could toward the room with the elevator shaft. As he ran into the room, there was the elevator, waiting for Leon. A loud, violent explosion rocked the corridor as the explosive detonated, spraying bits of the monster in all directions, with hot chunks of exoskeleton and singed muscle tissue littering the ground. Its black blood fell through the metal grating and into the flowing water beneath it, sending it off to the pit. As the echo of the explosion faded away, Leon strained his ears to listen.

Nothing but silence. Letting out a huge sigh of relief, Leon's fatigued body walked toward the shaft, but he decided to take a breather by sitting in one of the chairs and checking himself for the damage done by the former bodyguard. He checked the left side where the monster got him, and as he lifted up his shirt, he looked at the spot, completely expecting to find a bloody gash several inches long. He saw to his surprise that the wound was slowly closing _itself_, as if he took no damage at all. At once, he realized why.

_The parasite…the parasite wants to protect its host body, keep it alive for its own ends. Pretty cool, actually, but I need to find some way to get this out of me…don't wanna become one of Saddler's slavish drones._

With his breathing and his heart returning to normal, he checked his state of ammunition, and it was shitty indeed. While he had plenty of handgun ammunition, he was down to three shotgun shells, and now no grenades, using the last to obliterate Salazar's freak of nature. He still had his flail, and it had proved useful to this point.

_Well, better get moving…no sense in wasting any more time._

Putting the shotgun around his shoulder, he reached into another pouch and fished out one more of his energy bars. Walking into the elevator, he took off the wrapper and bit into the brown food-like substance, then pressed a button in the elevator, the only direction it could go--down. The door shut, and the elevator jerked itself to life. Where the elevator was taking him he could only guess, but at least one thing was certain--he was still alive. And while he had a few moments, barring any other interruptions, he leaned himself against the side of the cab and relaxed, taking another bite out of his rations.

**END OF CHAPTER. **I'm very happy at the amount of people who are adding this to their favorite stories and watch lists. Now if I could get those people to review. So, how did you like the battle with the Verdugo? Let me know!


	16. Chapter Fifteen: In the Interim

**Chapter Fifteen: In the Interim**

Somewhere inside a fortified metal and stone structure, far away from the Salazar castle, Leon, and Ashley, the purple robed figure of Osmund Saddler sat in a throne-like chair, looking down at a man who was kneeling before him. The man was called here by Saddler, once again ready to obey his wish.

"It seems that Salazar is having difficulty taming the American pig," Saddler began, looking off into the distance. "Salazar had his chance." His gaze shifted to the kneeling figure in front of him. "Krauser, go get the girl. Oh, and dispose of this swine while you're at it."

The man rose to his feet. He was a tall, bulky man, extremely muscular and powerful. He was dressed in army camouflage pants with kneepads around the knees. He wore military style boots that looked like they were capable of some serious damage. He wore a black shirt, and his chest was protected by a flak jacket. Around his waist was a utility belt, and hanging off of it were several grenades and a gun that was holstered. Several pouches containing ammunition were attached to straps around his torso, and just like Leon, a shoulder sheath concealed a sharp, curved knife. He wore a red military-style beret, but it did nothing to cover up his face, which was riddled with long, deep scars sustained from injury years ago, injury that very nearly killed him.

"Consider it done," replied the deep, throaty voice of Krauser.

----------

When the elevator stopped, Leon found himself in very confined quarters. He knew he was deeper underground, and he knew he was in a mine shaft. The entire path ahead was lit up by hanging light bulbs, the kind one would see on construction sites. Mining equipment of all sorts was lying scattered about the sides--pickaxes, shovels, and the like. He could hear noise coming from a distance ahead, the sounds of machinery and other noise, suggesting that something was up.

_Wonder what they're digging for…?_

He walked by a wider section of the shaft and noticed a couple of crates and mine carts along the side, the mine carts filled with various manners of rocks, some with fossils and other things. Nothing else of interest. Moving on down the tunnel, the sound of working machinery grew louder, and gradually, the stone ceiling above him gave way to a mine cart rail used for transporting. The shaft gave way to a huge opening, and suddenly, something clicked inside his head, and he realized where he was.

He was standing at the edge of a platform staring out into a wide open area, and the scene before him was one of activity. A dig was in progress, and there were several of the male villagers walking to and fro about the area, digging and picking into the stone. In the center of the excavation a massive drill whirred, boring itself slowly deeper into the earth. Crouching down low, he took out his binoculars to check the scene closer. He had a suspicion, but he wanted to see just what they were mining for. He focused his observations on some of the mine carts that the villager workers were loading, and as he zoomed in closer, he could see that they were clearly fossils. The fossils themselves were long and slender, looking like worms in the rock.

_So these are the Plaga fossils that Luis mentioned…this is where Saddler got them from, using these people to fuel his own ambitions. Pathetic._

Scanning the rest of the site for a way forward, he noticed that there was some equipment lying about that could be of use to him--as it was an excavation site, no doubt there'd be some manner of explosives. He also noticed some double doors located on the far end of the site--there were no other exits. Getting there might be difficult, as it would mean traveling out in the open where he'd most likely be seen. However, if he was, he had plenty of handgun ammo to compensate, not to mention the trusty flail. Putting his binoculars back, he pulled out his handgun and began his descent into the main area, beginning his descent deeper into the unknown.

------------

**Once a Plaga egg hatches, it's nearly impossible to remove it from the body. But if it's before it hatches, then it can be neutralized by medication. If it does hatch you might be able to get it out by surgery before it turns to an adult, but it won't be easy. There's a high chance you won't survive the operation. As far as I know, the girl was injected with the egg before you. Her time is ticking. You should prepare yourself for the worst case scenario.**

She took the slip of paper and kissed the bottom of the note, leaving a lipstick mark on it. She hung the note off of a protruding nail from the dilapidated shack, putting it in a place where Leon was sure to see it. On the ground next to the remnants of the ruined shelter, she placed some ammunition she found back in the castle, ammo in the form of some shotgun shells. If the worst case scenario did come to pass, and the girl succumbed to the parasite, she wanted him to be prepared to dispose of her. The cool night was a welcome change from the underground she just came from, a place crawling with those stupid insects of Saddler's creation…Novistadors, she remembered. They were no match for her incredible agility, and she hadn't even wasted an entire clip of ammo--she simply outran the flying creatures, and here she was. She'd received some information that Salazar was on his way to the tall tower off some distance to the northwest, and that Saddler himself was on the island facility. As Saddler had the sample once again in his possession, she only had one way to go. Most likely there was some sort of transportation to the island, and once she found it, she'd most likely wait for Leon to show up--after all, he'd need to get there too. A smile crossed her face at the thought.

She was well aware of the dangers he'd face on the island, and she knew she had to keep manipulating the show in her favor. No doubt the asshole Krauser was once again prowling around, not to mention whatever freaks Saddler had employed in and about the area. The science and research facilities were on that island--no doubt they'd be heavily guarded. Also with Krauser playing as the lapdog to Saddler and Wesker, she'd have to stay on guard and keep Leon safe. Krauser loved power, and she knew that. She also knew that he had taken a Plaga parasite into his body, making him even more dangerous. Her plan remained the same, though--to have Leon be the distraction by which she could go in and accomplish her mission.

For the moment, she was willing to let Leon take care of Salazar. He already wanted to kill him, so why deprive him of his fun? The cat and mouse game would surely come to an end soon. It had to--with each passing minute, the parasites in Leon and Ashley continued to mature. Despite the suppressing medication given to them by Luis, the eggs had already hatched. Maturation would only be slowed--how much time they had was uncertain, for Luis was killed before he could accurately provide information on the drugs. Leon could not afford to waste too much time--with Salazar playing his little games and baiting him, all he was doing (deliberately) was running out the clock. He would have to dispatch the young castellan and end this charade.

In the meantime, she found herself in the middle of what looked to be some ruins--old, broken pieces of wood and stone lined the ground everywhere. Something used to be here, whether they were houses or some other shelter, but all that was left were some broken, standing sections of old material. Off in the distance was a tall structure with several spires along the top. It had the looks of a cathedral of some kind, perhaps the place of worship for those cultist freaks. Whatever the case, she had to keep moving. Now that Salazar and company were ahead of her, she did not want to be caught off guard in the event he left one of his henchmen behind and have one of his killing machines engage her in combat. Up ahead, she could hear the sounds of some voices, and as she moved in closer for a better look, she saw that a bonfire was in progress near what appeared to be a door with a lion's head on it. Around the towering blaze, several male _ganados_ stood around it, talking amongst themselves.

She sighed, but she had to get to that door. If it meant dispatching a few more of these people, then so be it. At least it would save Leon the trouble. Not even being stealthy or secretive, she walked nonchalantly right out into the open, right into view of the small group. Before any could utter a word, the femme fatale raised her handgun and opened fire, sending several bullets into the torso of the closest one, quickly sending him to the dirt. She moved on to the next, still walking, peppering him with another few rounds to the face, knocking him to the floor. Another, armed with a torch, ran at her, shouting obscenities in Spanish. She spun around and placed a well-timed roundhouse kick straight into his chest, knocking him back several steps. He stumbled backwards and fell directly onto the tall blaze, screaming in pain as the immense heat singed his clothes and licked at his skin. The fourth looked on in panic, and as Ada pointed the firearm at him, he screamed in terror and began running away from her, but he didn't get far, as she fired several more bullets, peppering his back until he fell to the earth, silent. Quiet once more, she walked several steps more until she got to the door and opened it, and what she found was actually a powered lift that most likely led to the cathedral. She shut the door and pressed the power button, and a second later, the lift hummed to life and began to journey downward. Outside, the burning man's head began to bubble and contort as the parasite within attempted to escape the host. Seconds later, the head exploded, and all was once again quiet.

------------

The scope of how massive of an ego Ramon Salazar had never really dawned on Leon until he walked into the cathedral and walked directly in front of it. The 'it' was a stone statue at least fifty feet tall, stretching from the floor almost to the very top of the arched ceiling, a statue of the eighth castellan himself. It was carved in detail, bearing the likeness of the normally diminutive man with excellent precision, minus the decrepit, infected looking face.

_He must be trying to compensate for his height…why else would he have this built? I suspected he had an ego, but this…well…I get the point._

Regardless, he couldn't stay and admire the statue--there was work to be done, and after seeing the presents left for him by Ada back outside in addition to the note, he had to get Ashley back, fast. Not only was time precious, but Leon was the one with the suppressing medication. He didn't want it to wear off and have the parasite continue to grow at full speed, because as much as he didn't want to envision it, Ada was right--the worst case scenario _could_ very much happen, and if it did…there was nothing he could do. He would _have_to kill her for her own good, and to protect America from Los Illuminados and Las Plagas. Same went for him--if all was lost, he was willing to put his life down. He couldn't go back to the States infected, and if nothing else, it would certainly stop Saddler--he'd have to repeat the process all over again, but before he could, the U.S. Government would certainly figure out what happened, and then they'd most likely do what they do to anything that doesn't agree with them: bomb the hell out of it.

Turning around, he began to jog down a long stretch of open space about the length of a football field. A wide stone path sat right down the center, surrounded by two large reflecting pools of water. When he got to the end of the path, he opened up a set of double doors led outside, and suddenly, he found himself standing at a landing. Ahead of him was a bridge, a bridge that led him to a tall tower. What waited for him in there he couldn't think about. From the outside, there was no evidence of anywhere else the tower would lead him to, and just maybe, maybe he had finally cornered Salazar. Maybe the game was finally over. However, if he knew Salazar by now, he was certain that he had one or two more tricks left up his sleeve. He made it abundantly clear that he wasn't going to go down without a fight.

Running across the bridge, he grabbed his handgun, ready to fight, and as he opened the doors, he spotted both him and his remaining bodyguard with their backs to him, as if waiting for something. As soon as they heard the door open, they both spun around, and a smile flashed across the man's face.

"Well, well, well," Salazar began, clapping. "So nice you could join us, Mr. Kennedy."

"You again," Leon said in obvious disgust. "Where's Ashley?"

"The sacred rite that is about to begin at this tower will bestow the girl with magnificent power." His eyes widened, gleaming. "She will join us, become one of us."

Leon took a step toward Salazar. "This is no ritual. It's terrorism."

"Isn't that a popular word these days?" the castellan asked. "Not to worry. We've prepared a special ritual…_just for you._" He raised his hand as if he was about to spring another trap on the agent.

"Not if I have anything to say about it," Leon shot back, and quickly drew his knife from its sheath, flinging it across the room--

--and straight into Salazar's hand, pinning him to the wall behind him. Blood began trickling down his palm, and quickly, Salazar's beaming grin turned to wide-eyed shock as he saw the blade sticking out of his hand.

"Heh," Leon said to himself, pleased.

He began to whimper in pain as the black-robed Verdugo reached over and pulled the blood-soaked knife out of his master's hand, flinging it back toward Leon with amazing speed, forcing him to dive out of the way to avoid certain death. In the ensuing distraction, a lift came down from the top of the tower and rested at the bottom. Before Leon could do anything, Salazar, clutching his bloody hand, and his bodyguard boarded the lift. A second later, the lift began to make for the top.

_Jesus fucking Christ, not again!_

"_STOP!_" Leon grabbed his knife and sprinted toward the escaping duo, grabbing his gun to get a shot or two off, but it was to no avail--the quick moving lift easily escaped the agent, and now Leon was faced with the task of climbing to the top of the tower. Glancing from side to side, he noticed some burlap sacks filled with something and some crates to one side, but to his right was the base of a stairwell that looped up and along the tower walls. Waiting for the lift would take too long, and now he was determined to get Salazar. He was close, he could feel it. Salazar was running out of room, and when Leon finally caught up to him, he'd make him pay.

He began his long run up the stairs, running full on adrenaline now as all he thought about was killing the castellan. He no longer wished to apprehend him or do any of that fair legal crap--he wanted him dead in the worst way possible. He wanted the boy to be so full of bullets, enough to send a message to his master, Saddler. Continuing his dash up the stairs, about one fourth of the way up, his attention got diverted as he heard some noise coming from the entrance below. A group of the robed acolytes came charging through the door, all of them armed with flails and scythes, and immediately, they began running up the stairs in pursuit of the agent.

_Of course…couldn't make it easy for me, could you? No! Of course not!_

However, Leon showed no signs of turning around to engage them in combat. He kept running, but as he turned around, he was surprised to see that they were gaining on him. The agent reached a landing that contained a small balcony overlooking the floor of the tower below, and noticed that the ceiling above him created a large square, as if something emptied out onto the landing. On the balcony itself, there was one wooden crate and a large wooden barrel, and quickly, a thought came to Leon's head. He'd have to work fast if his idea worked at all, for they'd catch up to him in half a minute. He moved himself behind the barrel and pushed, and to his surprise, it was empty. He pushed with all his strength, and as the cultists quickly closed the distance between them and the American, Leon pushed the barrel off a step, forcing the barrel to tip over onto its side and begin rolling down the spiral staircase. The cultists could not, and did not, have enough time to flee the large wooden barrel that was quickly picking up speed as it rolled faster down the steps. The ones closest began to turn around in an attempt to panic, screaming all the while, but the effort was futile as the barrel quickly rolled over them and kept going, knocking down everyone in its path.

_Strike…maybe I should take part in a bowling league._

With that threat gone, he continued his climb up the tower, running until the stairs came to a sudden stop and was replaced by a crude lift that would take him up near the top. Getting on, he slammed down on the power button, and the lift began its slow ascent to the top. Nearly a minute passed, but as he neared the top, he noticed his next course of action led him to travel some narrow planks, some scaffolding, it looked like. As the lift was approaching its destination, a crossbow dart came whizzing past Leon's exposed head, missing by only a couple of inches. He could feel the displaced air on his ear as the dart sailed past and into the stone wall behind. Coming into view as the lift ascended was another small group of cultists. A total of three were standing outside on a stone ledge, leering and grinning manically at him. The two in the rear were armed with crossbows, but the third one was the most dangerous--robed in purple with gold trim, he was kneeling in front of the two in black--aiming a rocket launcher directly at the agent.

_SHITSHITSHIT--_

Leon's mind screamed with alarm, and before the lift stopped, he fired the handgun directly at the heavily armed cult follower, creating several bullet holes in his head, spraying the robes of the men behind him with dark blood. The launcher fell out of his hand and onto the floor. As he staggered back, he knocked into the two behind, causing them to stumble. Leon gave them no chance to recover. As the lift finally stopped, he ran along the wooden scaffolding, holstering his gun and taking out the flail, charging the two. With one mighty swing, the heavy spiked ball slammed into the torso of the closest body with a sickening crunch as several ribs broke from the impact. He fell to the floor and then rolled to his side, moaning in pain. Vulnerable, he took his gun and fired the remaining bullets into his back. His body jerked and writhed as the hot bullets pierced his torso until finally he collapsed and breathed no more. A second later, before Leon could reload, the third acolyte charged at Leon with a loud, raspy feral growl and wrapped his cold, pale hands around his neck.

He could feel himself being lifted into the air as the hooded freak began to choke him, laughing all the while. The two of them now were dangerously close to the precipice, and as the grip became stronger, the flail and the handgun fell out of his hands and hit the ground at his sides. Without even diverting his gaze, the follower shoved the metal spiked ball off the ledge with his foot, falling into the eternal nothingness, falling into forever night.

_That was MINE, you asshole!_

A new, fresh surge of adrenaline and anger coursed through him, and before he could do the same with the handgun, he grabbed the man's wrists in an attempt to pry his hands off him. As his strength began to force the man's hands loose, he dropped back down to the ground and dug his foot into the man's stomach. With one hard shove, he pushed the man backwards, and as Leon fell to the stone ledge, the robed cultist staggered back and fell off the ledge, screaming as he fell into the endless darkness.

Panting, Leon remained sitting on the stone ledge, listening as the scream faded away into the night. He could still feel the icy, clammy hands of the acolyte on his neck. He turned to his left and saw the remaining two bodies lying face down on the gray rock ledge, and his attention turned to the unused rocket launcher lying on the ground. It was a slim but long brown and gray weapon, complete with a scope attached. It also came with a crude sort of shoulder strap that enabled someone to carry it. From the look of the dangerous firearm, he figured that it was a one-time use weapon--the single rocket was attached to it, but there was nothing that indicated that it could be reloaded or fitted with another explosive. Once the trigger was pulled, that was it. However, with his trusty heavy flail gone, he didn't want to pass up this opportunity and skip on the powerful weapon.

_Looks like our boy Salazar is getting desperate if he's sending his men out with rocket launchers. Too bad, though. Looks like I'll get this one--he's not going to use it._

Even though it was one shot, he decided to take it. If anything, he wanted to show Salazar his appreciation for toying around with him and Ashley. What better way than a loud bang? He got up and brushed himself off, then grabbed the handgun off the ground and ejected the empty clip, replacing it with a fresh one before holstering it. Walking over to the body of the former wielder of said firearm, he managed to get the strap off it, and then slung the strap diagonally across his back. The ranged weapon had some weight to it, but it was bearable for now. Somehow, he felt that he was going to use that particular weapon soon. Where could Salazar go now?

Looking to his right, he could see that the ledge continued on, wrapping itself around the tower, with a couple steps leading upward. Checking his shotgun, he loaded it and made it ready to go in the event Salazar was waiting for him at the top. Finished here, he broke out into a jog and ran along the path. He didn't have to travel long--the path led itself to a sheltered area, and finally led itself to a set of double doors, illuminated by fiery torches on both sides. Charging inside, he found himself inside a small hallway that was illuminated. Twenty feet away, with his back to Leon, Salazar stood in front of an altar. As he stormed inside, he looked at the place where he now stood. In the massive circular chamber, a circular path looped around the perimeter, ending at an exit on the opposite side of the room. Several pillars rose out of the lower level and to the ceiling, but it was the disgusting _thing_that covered nearly the entire opposite side of the large room that stuck out the most--a massive, slimy organism that spread across the stone wall and onto the ceiling--a mass of slimy, slick bulbous membranes that quivered, pulsed, and breathed. In the center of this giant parasitic mass of tissue, a large bulb of purple skin formed what looked like a set of flaps, looking like a carnivorous type of plant, perhaps a giant, mutated Venus flytrap. This was an organism that defied science.

The castellan turned around as Leon emerged from the short tunnel, smiling as if he was expecting him.

"Ah, you've just missed her," he began, his grin growing wider. "The ritual is over."

**END OF CHAPTER. **More to come.


	17. Chapter Sixteen: The Transcendent Lord

**Chapter Sixteen: The Transcendent Lord**

"What?" Leon shot back angrily.

"She left with my men to an island," he replied, turning around and walking up a small staircase to the top of the altar, surrounded by torches emitting a purple flame. "You're too late."

"Damn you, Salazar!" Leon cried out, grabbing his shotgun and aiming it directly at the castellan's head. The black-robed monster of a bodyguard just looked on, his hood removed, exposing the same type of disgusting head he saw back before the Plaga mines, the head of a Verdugo.

With his back still turned, he continued talking. "I think it's time I paid my due respects towards your impressive and stubborn will." As he said that, he turned around, and as he did so, the large purple blob on the far wall opened up in addition to another smaller mound of flesh. Several long, slim purple and black tendrils snaked out of the orifice, snaking their way toward the altar. They began to wrap themselves around both Salazar and his bodyguard, and as Leon looked on at the strange proceedings, Salazar had his arms wide open as if in sacrifice as the tendrils lifted him and the Verdugo high into the air, taking both of them back toward the mound of slick tissue.

"Mr. Kennedy…welcome!" Salazar exclaimed, and then began to laugh wildly as the tendrils took him into the mouth of the purple blob. The skin closed around him at the same time the Verdugo was being absorbed into the mound of flesh and tissue. For a few seconds, the parasitic organism made sick, squishy noises as it absorbed them into its mass. Several seconds later, a massive, thick tentacle several feet around shot out of the wall just under the purple and black blob. It was a nasty, horrible aberration--at least ten feet around and as nearly as long as the entire diameter of the room, it was coated with a viscous, slimy clear liquid that enveloped its putrid brown, black and purple skin.

_What the hell?_

Covered with fat bulging veins that throbbed, the tentacle sported a large bright red eye. Another massive tentacle shot out from the organism's right in a terrific crash of breaking stone, cutting right through two pillars and the path that circled the room. The pillars were rent in two, turning them into rubble as they hit the floor below. A similar one shot out from the left, causing another loud explosive noise as it sprayed chunks of stone out onto the floor. It slammed itself into the path on the other side, breaking the stone to create a wide chasm that Leon couldn't leap across. Now the only way to the door on the other side was to jump down to the floor, where Plaga parasites began pouring out through the grates in the floor, and scale the ladder on the other side.

Suddenly, the purple mouth opened, and the man once formerly known as Ramon Salazar became a mutated freak. While his upper body resembled human form, his left side and his lower half were completely merged into the creature--massive bulging veins wrapped around his torso, and sprouting from where his left shoulder used to be was a huge throbbing heart-like organ. Now a completely ash white and gray figure, he let out a wild, feral roar before fixing his bright, fiery red eyes at the tiny American many feet below him. Hanging suspended several feet above him, the round, basketball-sized red eye of the central head glared, its gaze fixed on Leon.

Leon looked up at the head in return, his face emotionless. He'd seen it all before six years ago. Something like this didn't faze him.

"Gross," was all he said.

"_DIE!!!"_ screamed the monster called Salazar, the voice no longer a high-pitched whiny sound, but a very raspy, throaty, gurgling noise. A second later, the amorphous mass containing Salazar receded back into the black mouth of the purple mess, and several tentacles crossed themselves in front of the mutated freak, protecting him.

_Even now, he hides himself behind a shield…he really is a boy, a scared boy…_

Immediately, the central tentacle peeled itself open, revealing a glistening maw containing rows of white, sharp teeth, capable of killing immediately. Before Leon had a chance to react, the massive tentacle lunged with unusual, incomprehensible speed, and the agent dove immediately out of the way, just missing death by a couple of feet as the hulking mass stopped short of the wall.

"_I want you to suffer, just like Ashley!!!"_

Scrambling to his feet, he immediately opened fire on the central head, ripping three shells into the side of the central tentacle, ripping slimy brown chunks off the thing. However, the open wounds began to close themselves up immediately, and Leon knew then he had to aim for the eye, the weak spot.

"That tickles!" the monster bellowed, mocking Leon.

"Come on out and fight like a man!"

One of the smaller tentacles raised itself and began to sling itself across the huge chamber, and as it did, Leon ran to his right, aiming at the slimy pink mass of disgusting. Another peal of gunfire ripped through the air, slicing itself clean through the tentacle, sending a shower of green viscous blood to spray and hit the floor. It seemed to have done something, for the tentacle immediately receded and disappeared through the hole in the wall, leaving the left side clear for now. The central head moved itself back toward the master, its large eye following Leon's every movement. He readied the shotgun again, aiming directly for the large eye as it began to move in toward him once again. Before he could pull the trigger, he felt something hard and slimy slam into his back, catching him off guard, and suddenly he was falling--falling to the floor, falling to the pit of waiting Plagas below. He landed hard on his side, and the impact nearly knocked the rocket launcher off his body. As the pain shot down his arm, he knew that it was going to leave a bruise. Nothing broke, but something told him he'd need a heating pad for his right arm when this was all said and done. He had no time to devote on healing himself--several of the malformed Plaga parasites were skittering across the floor in an attempt to surround him. Looking like deformed crustaceans with more legs than body, they were drawn to the human. Getting to his feet quickly, he spotted a ladder that went back up to the main platform. The agent grabbed a flashbang grenade he found back in the mines and pulled the pin, hurling it into the swarm of creatures. Dashing toward the ladder, a small explosion occurred a few seconds later, a blinding white flash filled the area, and as he expected, the bright light caused the creatures to melt away to goo, emitting a chorus of unnatural shrieking as the light seared their bodies.

Scrambling back up the ladder and back onto the main platform, he could see the disgusting central head rearing itself back, ready to make another lunge. It opened its massive maw, and then hurled itself toward Leon with inhuman speed.

_Oh, hell._

He barely was able to dodge this near hit as the head slammed into the stone wall with amazing force, punching a hole through the old rock like it was a sheet of aluminum foil.

"Stand still!" the raspy Salazar creature yelled, a note of frustration in its voice.

_Not on your life!_

His heart beating double time, he got back up and aimed for the creature's head as it began to pull itself out of the wall, throbbing and pulsing, looking a bit phallic. The one remaining tentacle whipped around the main pulsing mass toward Leon again, charging toward him in an attempt to knock him back into the pit below once again. This time, Leon was prepared, and fired two more shells into the writhing pink mass. The two slugs found their mark, blowing away massive chunks of the membrane and spraying the ground with its green bloodlike substance. Reacting as if it was in pain, the tentacle quickly snaked back into the wall, leaving just the fat center tentacle left. Its bright red eye glared at Leon again, and this time, he wasted no time in emptying the last few shells in the barrel right into the monster's giant iris, ripping wet, sloppy chunks of skin and sinew into the air and hitting the floor with sickening splats.

Suddenly, there was a loud roar coming from the purple blob in which Salazar was housed, and as Leon fixed his gaze on Salazar, he saw that the tendrils surrounding him were unwrapping themselves. Seconds later, the massive structure opened up, and suddenly, Salazar himself was now exposed and vulnerable as the thin tendrils began to snake toward the damaged eye with intent on repairing the damage. Sensing that he didn't have much time before the eye healed, he knew that _now_was his chance to get rid of Salazar once and for all, now that Salazar was completely unprotected. He grabbed the rocket launcher and propped it on his right shoulder, and lined the scope up. The agent looked out of the scope and lined up the crosshairs directly at the deformed being that was Salazar.

_Game over. I win._

He pulled the trigger, and instantly, a bright flash of fire, smoke, and light shot out from behind him as the propellant fuel ignited. The explosive flew off the base, making a speedy beeline toward the monster, leaving a trail of smoke as it did so. Salazar looked his own death coming toward him, and his fire-red eyes lit up, knowing it was done. A final, desperate pleading scream cut through the chamber as the rocket slammed directly into the body of the castellan; and a massive, loud explosion filled the air, a brilliant display of light and noise as the bulbous heart, the nucleus of the organism, and the fused body of Salazar blew apart. The sheer force of the explosion tore away a gigantic chunk of the organism, and a shower of burning flesh and green fluid cascaded down into the pit below, along with the severed remains of the central tentacle. Ramon Salazar had lost, and with it, the Salazar family line came to a bloody end, done in by their own blind faith to a terrible religion.

As silence returned to the tower apex once more, Leon remained standing, staring up at the section where Salazar was, now nothing more than a smoldering black chasm. His heart was still pounding, the adrenaline still flowing, but his mind was screaming in glee. Revenge was sweet, but he knew that there were still tremendous amounts of work still left. While Salazar was now gone, there was still one man left to go, and that was Saddler himself. As long as he was still alive, the world itself was in danger. Now he had to get to an island, for Ashley was at this moment being taken there. The question was how to get to said island, and where was it? It probably wasn't too far from here, but getting there could be an issue. At the moment, he needed to get back down to ground level, which meant finding a way back down. The exit on the other side of the room was a start. Throwing the spent frame of the rocket launcher aside, he jumped back down into the pit, which was now a menagerie of shrapnel, burning flesh and green goo, and a horrifying smell at that. He quickly made it to the opposite ladder, and when he opened the door, he found himself back outside. The cold night chill made him feel much better, despite his dirty, sweat-drenched body. What time of night it was he had no clue, but he didn't mind it right now. He walked along on a straight passageway, and as he made it to the end, he realized that he came to a dead end, with one minor exception.

Hanging off the edge was a rope, and as he looked over the side, he noticed that the rope led down the side of the tower, a good hundred feet or so, to a platform cut into the side of the mountain. Leon grabbed the rope and pulled on it, seeing if it and the support were sturdy enough to hold his weight. Carefully, he grabbed the thick rope and climbed over the wall and down into the night.

When he made it to the platform, he looked around again to check his bearings. To his left, the platform took a turn, and while it was quiet for the moment, he decided he'd try to get in contact with Hunnigan again--with Salazar gone, maybe the line was no longer being jacked. He flipped open the device and dialed in, then waited. Unfortunately, no one was picking up on the other end, which meant that something was still prohibiting Leon from contacting the outside world. With that failed attempt for some information, the only thing he could do was keep going, but before he did, he loaded up the shotgun once again with some shells, and then followed the passage. He didn't have to walk long before the path ended at another powered lift. From here, it could only go down, and so Leon pushed the down button and the lift jerked into motion.

After thirty seconds or so, the lift ended its descent and Leon found himself in what had the look and feel of an underground passage. Dark, slick stone lined the walls, and small fiery torches lit the way. It was silent for the moment, save for the ambient dripping noises of water throughout. It was humid here and smelled a bit like mildew, but for the moment, he could manage. The tunnel took a left, then a quick couple of rights before becoming straight, and as he jogged down this stretch, he could see that the narrow path opened up into a clearing ahead. Grabbing his handgun and raising it by his face, he continued jogging, ready for some sort of ambush. Something was indeed waiting for him there, but it was by no means an ambush.

Instead, it opened up onto some sort of dock, and he found himself standing on a landing platform. A large opening allowed for passage in and out, but the thing that caught his eye was a lone powerboat that was docked to the landing on the other side of the area…and the woman in red at the wheel of said powerboat. Ada.

_So we meet again…_

She turned her head in his direction, staring at him with a slightly sultry expression, a half-smile playing across her lips.

_Once again, playing the sly one…_

"Need a ride, handsome?" she asked.

_Read my mind, woman…looks like she's on her way to the island as well. I have no choice._

"Okay," he said begrudgingly, then walked to the boat. Still a bit miffed at her hasty exit in the courtyard and leaving him once again in the dark, he was hoping she might divulge something, at least her intentions. If nothing else, he'd be in the company of a sexy, beautiful and very dangerous woman. She flipped the ignition as he got inside and took a seat next to her, and instantly, he caught a whiff of that scent, the same delicious fragrance he remembered from Raccoon City. A second later, and the powered vessel moved out from the dock, and then sped out into the night, slicing across the black water. Leon was leaving the castle behind, and with it, the charred remains of Salazar. What waited for him on the island facility, he had no idea, but he knew that it wasn't going to be easy. With Saddler there, he was sure to give Leon one hell of a welcome. He still had to rescue Ashley again, and get the Plaga sample back from Saddler. What Ada had to do with all of this was still very unclear, but for the moment, he sat back in his chair and began to relax, if only for a few minutes. There was nothing now except him, Ada, and the open water.

**END OF CHAPTER.** So, if you've been following along with me to this point, and have played the game, you know that this basically means that Disc 1 (if you have the GameCube version) has come to an end. At this point, we're way more than halfway through with the story here, but there's still a lot of plot left to go. Hope you're enjoying it thus far…keep the reviews coming.


	18. Chapter Seventeen: Pursuing Ashley

**Chapter Seventeen: Pursuing the President's Daughter**

Ten minutes had passed since Ada and Leon left the castle for good, and as the powerboat glided over the water, Leon could see the island coming into view out of the slightly foggy air. From the outset it looked like a massive facility of sorts, comprised of many buildings of various shapes and sizes. Several of them had what looked like smokestacks coming out of them, and as the vehicle came in closer, it looked like there were windows in some of these buildings. Some of them even had some light coming out of them, indicating the fact that there was some sort of activity on the island. What hellish things were sitting on that island was uncertain, but Leon knew he wanted to get Ashley off this island and fast--the closer she was to Saddler, the more danger she was in.

Relaxed and with his head resting on his shoulder, Leon was looking straight ahead, his mind drifting in and out of thought, but for the moment, wondered where they were going to dock this thing, for he saw nothing but jagged rocky coastline. He thought it wise to ask what her plan of action was going to be, as they were closing in fast--heading right for the rocky coast. He turned his head and prepared to speak at the same time she turned her head to him and looked at him seductively, smiling at him as her deep brown eyes made contact with his for a split second.

And suddenly she slammed the steering wheel hard to the right, forcing the powerboat to careen sharply to the right, catching Leon completely off guard and causing him to let out a startled "whoa!" The force of the maneuver slammed him against the side of the boat, and in a matter of a couple seconds, the boat was sitting quietly and idly right against the rocky coastline. Reaching down to her thigh, she pulled out a grappling gun. She quickly scanned the rock face and then fired at a point high up the side. The grappling hook bored itself into the spot where she aimed, and Leon knew that the ride was over.

Standing up, she placed one black-heeled foot on top of the steering wheel while the other stayed put on the floor, causing the red fabric of her dress to move away, exposing her entire sexy, slender, and creamy leg to the startled agent. The effect was not lost on Leon, and he too shot a brief look at the perfect skin, hoping for a moment that her dress would slide away just enough to expose a tight, perfectly toned ass.

"Got some business to take care of. See you later, Leon." Before Leon could reply, she pulled the trigger and shoved herself upward off the boat, flying upwards toward the top of the rock face. The boat reacted to her forceful push, and suddenly the motor roared to life again. Quickly, the boat began to careen and move wildly out of control, and Leon dove out of his seat and grabbed the wheel in a feeble attempt to right the unruly craft. Turning it in whatever way possible, the boat spun and turned for a few seconds before the stern finally slammed itself violently into a large rock, slamming into the motor with enough force to break it. The force threw him back to the passenger side, and then it was over; the motor died, and the boat finally came to a stop, conveniently located several feet away from what looked like a path, a back way in. Breathing heavily, his limbs were splayed out in all directions, much like his current state of mind as it attempted to settle down from Ada's dramatic exit.

"Women!" he said aloud, his voice showing absolute exasperation. He remained there, waiting a minute or two so that his breathing and his heart could return to normal.

_She's always had a flair for the dramatic, that woman…I guess it comes with the territory if you're that sexy._

Checking to make sure none of his firearms got lost in the ensuing chaos, he climbed out of the boat and onto the slick rocks that led toward the path before him. When he made it safely onto solid ground, his communications device began to beep.

_Hmm…who could it be now?_

When he accepted the call, he was once again hoping to see the bright and cheery image of Ingrid Hunnigan, but the hope faded as the purple hooded alien face of Osmund Saddler came into the view screen, his face expressionless. Leon spoke first.

"I hate to break it to you, but Salazar's dead," Leon began.

"Yes," he replied, a tiny bit of remorse evident in his voice. "It seems that way."

"Saddler, why don't you give up and let Ashley go home?"

Saddler chuckled. "Perhaps you are disillusioned with overconfidence just because you killed my small-time subordinate."

_Another one that's gonna get under my skin fast._

"Saddler, you're small time," the agent shot back.

Saddler let out a big, hearty laugh, as if he just heard a very humorous joke. "Writhe in my cage of torment, my friend." The transmission ended, and Leon was left alone once again.

_Cage of torment, my ass. Who the hell does he think he is?_

With that, he put the phone away and began to jog quickly along the narrow beach path. The path itself was right on the water, and only a few feet wide. Coming to a turn, he saw off in the distance to the right what looked to be an edifice of some kind, but couldn't make out much more than that. The path itself led to a sheltered rock cave that was lit up by several lamps along the way. Soon after, he came to an intersection, but quickly saw that the way straight ahead led to a dead end, and that the path to the right was his only option. Crossing over a tiny wooden bridge, the path turned to the right again. A loud female scream for help cut through the night air as he crouched down behind a couple of wooden crates, an unmistakable, familiar scream.

_Ashley!_

Even though his view was obstructed, he knew the sound was coming from somewhere straight ahead from him, close. What he couldn't see was a man going up a set of stairs which led to somewhere within the rock. Ashley was slung over his shoulder, and she was pounding her small fists on his back in a feeble attempt to break free from his grip. Walking in the opposite direction, coming down the stairs was a small group of men, three or four their number, all of them armed. These men were not the peasant villagers and religious acolytes that Leon had to contend with back in the castle and nearby pueblo--they were a new brand of _ganados_unfamiliar to the agent. These were commando and mercenary forces, hired by Saddler to keep order on the island facility while the dirty work of the Los Illuminados was being carried out.

These men were not dressed in the dirty and ragged peasant-style clothing of their fellow countrymen, but were sporting various types of army fatigues, thick jackets and vests, bandanas, and flak jackets. Not only were they built to withstand a bit of abuse, but they were armed with various manners of weapons--crossbows, flails, but also electric shock prods and axes. To further complicate matters, these hired men of Saddler's were also infected with the same parasite, the same horrible Plagas. At a moment's notice, the mercenaries could become more dangerous if and when a blade-wielding Plaga exploded out of their heads. These were not men to take lightly, for they fully intended to give Leon a heck of a welcome.

As Ashley's screams faded into the night, Leon made his way to the beachhead proper, and found that the area looked like the remains of a battlefield. Several standing pieces of former shelters or structures dotted the area, some of them coming with hanging pieces of barbed wire or metal bars sticking out of the broken cement. One or two actually looked more or less whole, almost like little fortifications or bunkers. Some of the remaining walls formed joints and corners of former buildings that could allow places to take cover in the event of a gunfight.

Above the ground level, one could see that this whole section of the island was set up as a fortification. Cliffs that ran along the edges above Leon were protected with cement walls and sandbags, and barbed wire was present everywhere. Most likely that this section of the island was the first and frequently used line of defense, for it looked as if not very many made it past here. Any random law enforcement official or unlucky person who happened to be the least bit curious most likely wound up suffering a quick and painful death at the hands of Saddler's enhanced group of soldiers and mercenaries.

Pieces of mortar and stone dotted the rocky land, and as he continued up the incline toward the sound of Ashley's voice, he was stopped when he heard the sounds of very rough and raspy voices, muttering to themselves in their native Spanish, sounding more garbled like noise than actual talking. Quickly, he darted into some cover and waited with his gun drawn, ready to blast some bullets into the head of whoever passed. He could hear one of them coming immediately where he was hiding--worse yet, he could hear by the crackling of electricity that he was armed with a shock prod, something Leon didn't want to experience.

_Looks like Saddler can afford to give his men real weapons. Still, don't want to experience several thousand volts today. Just not in my schedule._

He could hear the soldier's raspy, labored breathing just a few feet away. He knew that whatever happened in the next few seconds, he'd have to engage the other men in combat--the men were in close proximity to each other. They were going to hear something. Seconds later, the male came into view, not seeing Leon in the shadows as he walked right by.

_Looks like their parasites don't enhance their senses any._

Quietly, Leon aimed his gun straight at the soldier's head, knowing that he'd have to run as soon as soon as he opened fire, run toward the direction of Ashley's voice further up the beachhead. Five rapid shots cut through the otherwise still night as he fired at point blank range directly into the mercenary's skull, slicing clean through the soft spongy tissue that made up his brain and out the other side. The soldier let out a feral scream of pain as he hit the ground, an unnatural shriek that sounded very much like a cat yowling. A second later, he could hear one of the other men scream an alarm and yelled commands to the others.

_Don't need to know Spanish to understand what they want!_

Grabbing the shock stick from the ground in the hope that it would prove useful in replacing the flail, he turned and ran up the slight incline, up toward the staircase that came into view. He could see the bright glowing red eyes of the infected mercenaries as he rushed past them and their expressions of pure hatred. Dashing up the stairwell onto the landing, he was surprised briefly when he saw that they were giving chase, charging toward him and yelling at the same time. He pointed the gun down as the closest one began running up the stairs and opened fire. As the bullets slammed into his unprotected chest, he began to fall backwards, but the two right behind him ignored it and continued up the stairs.

With the shock prod still in his hand, he thrust the device at the approaching soldier who had a flail raised high in his hand, ready to swing. Bolts of electricity flew through the device shot a high voltage current right into his body, forcing him to release his grip on the medieval weapon. The sudden jolt of force caused the man to shudder violently, then fell immediately backwards and onto the only approaching mercenary left. Now was Leon's chance to get away, while he had the opportune moment. Throwing the shock prod away, he quickly grabbed the handle of the melee weapon. He then took off from the landing, through the open passageway and along the rocky path. Not bothering to look behind him, he ran across another small wooden bridge and came to a dead end. What waited for him there was a ladder leading up. Quickly, he went up the short ladder to the fortification cliffs, still hearing the sounds of Ashley's panicked screams.

As he emerged out onto the upper level of cliffs, he could see that the windy paths ahead were not going to be easy. Before he could catch up to Ashley, he could see that he was going to run an obstacle course to get to the other side. A searchlight was moving back and forth along a section of the cliffs--something Leon would have to shoot out. In addition, several more of Saddler's men were placed in various positions along the way. He'd have to rely on stealth, or run the possibility of being quickly overpowered. Even though he was once again equipped with a melee weapon, he had to make sure to watch for anyone wielding those high-powered stun batons. Resigned to his current situation, he proceeded forward.

_This is becoming more of a nuisance now…_

Something very close smelled foul. Finding himself finally inside the island facility, he was starting to wish that there was another point of entry inside than this. Somewhere in this area, someone or something was rotting, and the smell of carrion was never a pleasant aroma. Navigating through the remainder of the fortification cliffs led him here. What 'here' was he didn't know, but he was going to find out. Whatever the case, it looked like this section was not having any power--it was pitch black, which forced Leon to turn his belt light on to see ahead of him. So far, the area was silent, except for the sounds of leaking, drippy pipes from somewhere also close by. The sound grew louder as he made his way down the corridor. To his left was a single metal door, and when Leon turned the knob, he found that it was locked, most likely from the other side, as no lock mechanism was present here. Moving on, he noticed a network of pipes ran along the ceiling and turned to the right as the hallway did, and some of them led to a water heater that looked like it had long since rusted. A puddle of water formed around the neglected structure, and leaks from above dripped into it.

_Wonder how long it's been since anyone was here…_

Ahead was a galley kitchen door, the type that swung both ways freely, and as Leon pushed the door open, a massive wave of rotten stench greeted him in the face, and his eyes immediately began to water. A wave of nausea shot through him as the atrocious smell invaded his nose, the smell of horrible death and fetor prevalent everywhere here.

_Oh, good god! What the hell died?!_

It was a smell that was familiar to him, a stench that he'd never forget…the stench of an entire rotting city. It was then six years ago that he saw truly the ugliest face of death ever. He could even hear the sounds of a mass congregation of flies from somewhere near. He placed the collar of his black tactical shirt over his mouth and nose and began to inhale the smell of his own body odor. Right now, it was a bouquet of flowers compared to the stench of rotting flesh. A minute or two later, As the nausea subsided, he began to proceed further into the area, passing what looked like a pantry full of many cans, jars, and prepackaged foods that lined several rusty metal shelving units.

_Must be in or near a kitchen…all these cans and non-perishables. Reminds me of the days of military rations. _

He didn't have to explore too much further to confirm his thoughts. As he passed a small janitorial station with a sink, mops and buckets, he found himself staring directly at the cause of the overpowering reek. Hanging from the roof was a rack with several meat hooks attached. Several sides of raw meat hung from the rack, most of them very much rotted and not fit for consumption. Most of the meat had turned a putrid, sickly brown color, and there was definite evidence of decay as much of the meat contained copious amounts of tiny, wriggling maggots. In the light, the sides of beef looked very much alive with the combination of glistening rot, flies, and maggots.

_At least it's not a zombie…what a waste. All that beef…all rotted and spoiled, but I could sure go for a fat, juicy steak right about now. Maybe I'll have that when I get back home. _

A huge range lined the wall next to the crawling, putrid beef, and from the looks of it, this was the only facility kitchen, designed to cook a lot of food for a lot of hungry people.

_Too bad that it has fallen into disuse…I could use some real food. _

His mind began to drift away from hot, rare steaks and other hearty foods as he turned a corner, passing a large sick that was filled with muddy, brackish water. Beyond it, a single door led out. Finding that this door was open as he turned the knob, he found himself back in an empty corridor, and after closing the door behind him, he turned left. After a few seconds more and having put some distance between the door, he freed his mouth and nose from the confines of his sweaty shirt and breathed in the stale air around him, which was now more or less free from the smell of death and rot. He was passing an open section of wall to his left, filled only with vertical and horizontal bars that left wide open spaces for one to look down. Glancing, he saw nothing but an empty room and a couple of shelves and crates, nothing else out of the ordinary.

_"HELLLLLLP!"_

That, however, was out of the ordinary. Ashley's cry for help cut through the unnatural silence, immediately grabbing Leon's attention. The cry was coming from somewhere very close by, but it sounded muffled, as if it was coming from another room. Not wasting another second, Leon started to jog quickly down the hallway, almost missing the door that was nearly hidden by the recessed part of the cement wall.

_Ashley, I'm coming!_

With his gun raised, he quickly stormed into the room on his right, expecting to see a couple more of Saddler's armed men, but instead was looking at a row of large, used green bulletin boards. Another cry for help sounded in the area, and as the agent entered an open section of the room--

--and suddenly he was pointing his gun at empty air. He found nothing but some metal cabinets and a large monitor station in the corner. The monitor station was fully operational, and six small television screens showed images of different places in and about the island facility.

_A set of surveillance monitors with sound…_

Another high-pitched panicked cry for help cut through the room again, and some motion on one of the monitors caught his attention. He took some steps forward, and saw that a surveillance camera was picking up activity from a cell where Ashley was being held.

----------

She was slamming hard on the metal doors, very much panicked. She was in a cell with two ugly, horrible men who looked at her with looks of complete perversion on their faces, the same men who took her from the tower and dragged her forcibly to this remote island.

"Hellllllllllllp!" she cried out, hoping against hope that Leon would once again spring her from another trap, and wondering if her luck had indeed finally run out.

_Leon, where are you? Help me, please…! I'm trapped in a room with two sick men who keep looking me…like perverts!_

She could hear the footsteps of one of the guards coming up behind her, and a second later, she felt the man's cold, filthy hands grab her and pull her forcibly away from the door. She let out a shriek of horror as the man shoved her brusquely to the cold cement floor. The other man behind her let out a labored chuckle, and all she could do was watch in fear as the man who shoved her looked down at her with his bright glowing red eyes. He leered at her, revealing a mouth containing several broken and missing teeth.

_He's going to do something to me--!_

With fear in her eyes, she could only watch helplessly as the man in front took a step forward and then suddenly stopped.

_Huh?_

He looked up, and Ashley noticed he was staring directly into the surveillance camera that was fixed upon the door. Quickly, his leering, perverse expression changed to one of sudden urgency. It was if he was seeing someone on the other end of the camera, and something about the change of mood was making the situation weirder.

"Aqui," said the man, who then pointed at something on the wall behind her. She turned around and saw that he too had the same urgent expression on his face. Quickly, he moved over to a switch box on the wall and immediately pressed several switches. A second later, the red power light on the camera was out.

_Someone's watching them, and they sensed it somehow…Leon?_

Back in the monitor station, Leon was watching the entire scene play itself out, right up to the point where the second guard flipped a set of switches which shut off power to the surveillance system. What was visible was now nothing but static that was now on all the monitors, not just the one in the holding cell.

Leon scoffed. "Amateurs," he said to himself. "Just hang in there, Ashley. I'm coming for you."

**END OF CHAPTER. **Read and review, and then move on!


	19. Chapter Eighteen: Unholy Science

**Chapter Eighteen: The Unholy Science of Las Plagas**

The Plagas have three distinct characteristics:

1. As mentioned previously, the Plagas have the ability to manipulate the behavioral patterns of their hosts.

2. The Plagas are social organisms. By this, I mean that instead of living individually, they live in perfect social harmony. It is believed that they have a collective intelligence. This type of behavior can be seen among insects such as bees and ants. However, this kind of social behavior is rarely seen among parasitic organisms. Perhaps it was a learned behavior by the Plagas. I'm finding out if this has any relationship with their first characteristic.

3. The Plagas have exceptional adaptation skills. They are able to live off many kinds of organisms by creating a symbiotic environment quickly. This ability, when combined with their social behaviors, allows them to interact intelligently between hosts regardless of the host organism.

I am ashamed to admit that my pure fascination with the Plagas, in hindsight, has blinded me to the true research objectives of the Los Illuminados. Even with the knowledge that Saddler was going to abuse the results of these experiments, I could not pull myself away from my research. As a result, I am just as responsible for this whole mess as he is. I see now that I was wrong, but can I stop their evil plans alone...?

The hideous creatures such as the El Gigante and the Novistadors are merely by-products of the diabolical and inhumane experiments conducted on the specimens that were once human. However, there's one type of creature that clearly distinguishes itself from the rest.

These creatures are called Regenerators. Regenerators have a superior metabolism that allows them to regenerate their lost body parts at incredible speeds. I've never seen anything like it...

It is this characteristic that makes them almost invincible to conventional weapons. But like any living creature, there's a way to kill it. Apparently there are Plagas that live in its body that look and act somewhat like leeches. To stop its regeneration process, these leech-like Plagas must be located and then destroyed. They can't be seen with the naked eye. They can only be located through thermal imaging. As far as I know, most of the Regenerators host a number of these leechlike Plagas. To kill the Regenerators, each one of these leechlike Plagas must be killed.

_--excerpts from Luis Sera's journal_

_-------------------------- _

She was simply killing time at this point. Some time ago, she received word from Wesker that she should rendezvous with Krauser at a communications tower near here to discuss a plan of action. She knew it was going to be brief--neither one of them liked long drawn out meetings, and he already had a job to attend to.

To that end, the sly Ada had been planning to create a diversion since she parted ways with Leon back on the boat. With the boy Salazar now out of the way, it was definitely time for Saddler to make a move, or so she anticipated. No doubt he'd focus all his attention now on Leon, and so she needed to find a way to sidetrack him. She felt that Leon could use a diversion anyway, make his job a little easier. It certainly distracted his mind, she knew, when she parted ways with Leon last.

_The look on his face when I showed my leg…it was brief, but I knew he noticed. Desire. Can't say I blame him, though…the poor man has already been through quite enough hell. Who knows? Perhaps there'll be another liaison in the future. _

She felt it was necessary now to take some of the heat off him. Despite Saddler's calm exterior and emotionless face, he was probably pissed as all hell now--it was a very like possibility that he sent out his lapdog Krauser to dispose of the agent.

That right now was her biggest concern. She had been wary of him from the moment she met him, and he in return to her. Neither one of them trusted the other, and whatever his reasons were, she avoided him whenever he could. He lived for power, lusted for it, and was very dangerous. She could handle him if necessary, but once he was given an order to hunt down and kill someone, there was no stopping him. And now, she had to get to Leon before Krauser did. He was very skilled with that knife, and while she didn't fear for her old flame, he was an integral part of her objective. There was no telling what could happen if the two of them crossed each other's paths. How she could manage to divert Krauser long enough for Leon to complete the objective she wasn't sure.

While she was in the mindset of diversion, distraction, and subterfuge, she was sitting down at a lab table inside the research facility. It was a state-of-the-art lab, and just judging from the looks of it, it was here where the main research, development, and experimentation of Las Plagas were done. In the center of this lab, a series of massive cylindrical glass enclosures stood, spanning from floor to ceiling almost. Several of them contained various specimens and experiments, disgusting things stemming from Saddler's research. Others were completely filled with a translucent green liquid. For the moment, nothing was inside of them.

Smiling to herself, she was holding a vial of purple liquid in her hand, one of many that were stored in temperature-controlled freezers in and about the lab. These were replica samples of Las Plagas, cloned versions created solely for research purposes, or so Luis had told her early on. They weren't fake samples--these were real live breathing parasites, but these were essentially the drones of the species, able to perform all the duties and functions that they normally carry out--all except one. And that one belonged to the master sample, the types of Plagas found in Mendez, the village chief; Ramon Salazar, the castellan; and Osmund Saddler himself.

These special Plagas had the ability to essentially rule over their subjects, much like a queen to her kingdom. From what research she'd done, she'd known that the master Plaga communicated to all others using special frequencies, sounds that can't be picked up by the human ear. Different frequencies were used to convey different things to the collective. What she didn't know was how a person was able to inject a master Plaga into himself and then be able to use its resonant frequency to control the people who were given the drones. Fascinating stuff to be sure, but she didn't have the time, or really, the care at this point. What she did know was that these types of master organisms were rare--what qualities they exhibited that differentiated themselves was known only to Luis, and he was dead; and Saddler himself. That research, according to Luis, was very private--he didn't even share with it with her. No matter--once she obtained possession of the sample, the scientists from the organization would do their research. They already had most of the data anyway from here anyway, through her methods of hijacking into the system. All they needed now were the samples of master and drone.

_One down, one to go…_

Still smiling, she took the small vial containing the drone sample and placed it in a small pouch that was fastened to the belt around her thigh. There was another item inside, and she pulled out a small rectangular plastic card, gray in color. It bore the emblem of the Los Illuminados. It was something she found on one of the guards that were among the group that were carrying Ashley off to some cell. Before she could nab the other two, they had ducked down a secret passage and escaped. Most likely it was a card key to gain access to her cell. She knew exactly where Ashley was, but she was of no concern to Ada. During her explorations of the area, she heard sounds of a struggle, some resistance coming from a barred window nearby. When she got a closer look, she made out the two guards who escaped earlier, carrying the struggling body of Ashley into the storage area. Ada wasn't going to spring Ashley from her cell--she left that minor detail for Leon.

Feeling like she spent enough time in here, she decided she'd head to the communications tower and wait for Krauser. He was a punctual person--no doubt he'd already be there. If he wasn't, she wasn't going to have to wait long. She grabbed a sheet of paper and a pen that was sitting on the lab table and began to write a message for the agent for when he got here.

Found this from one of the guards around here. It probably opens the door to Ashley's cell. You can thank me later, handsome.

--Ada

She kissed the piece of paper once again, and with that, she walked to the door and exited the lab, finding herself back outside in the cool night.

--------------------

Leon felt as if he just won the jackpot. Right now, this very moment, he had to consider himself extremely fortunate. Lucky. He couldn't help but be grinning from ear to ear. He wasn't about to let this good fortune just sit here and go to waste--he was going to make some great use out of his new find.

He had stumbled into an armory. And with it, was finding all manners of useful things: weapons, ammunition, things that would definitely make his job from here on out a much easier task. Nearly giddy like a child on Christmas morning, he was rifling through the lockers and cabinets like he was ripping open wrapping paper, looking for things to give him an edge, make him very much a one-man army. With all the weaponry here, he was puzzled as to why not many of the soldiers carried guns, but stuck with more non-firepower type weapons. Regardless, he wasn't going to let their misfortune hinder him.

_Their loss, _he reasoned, and already, he found a tactical vest, or more commonly known as a flak jacket, which was an extra protection of armor around the torso--bullet resistant to an extent. It also came with a few extra pockets for ammo storage, and most likely, Leon was going to need all the space, for he intended to cram as much as he could without it becoming cumbersome. He continued rifling through the cabinets and large storage cases littered throughout the armory. A good number of them contained long strings of bullets, and from the look of the bullets, Leon deduced that they were meant for some high-powered automatic gun, perhaps a Gatling gun or for a gun turret on some sort of battleship, although Leon hadn't seen any battleship during the approach to the island. Grinning from ear to ear, eager to find what other toys lay unclaimed here, he checked another black storage chest--

--and suddenly his face brightened up immensely as he found two more firearms, ones that were hopefully working and in good condition. In the chest was a high-powered rifle, military class, one of the several kinds of toys Leon was proficient with, given his position with the U.S. federal government. With it were several boxes of rifle clips--it was the type of weapon that used a similar style magazine like the handgun; each magazine held ten or so rifle rounds. With Leon already carrying plenty of handgun ammunition and shotgun shells, he didn't have room for too much more. As he took the weapon out of the chest, he examined it.

_This is what I'm talking about…I certainly could have used you before._

It looked like it was still in usable condition, anyway. It was also fitted with a scope on top, and as Leon raised the weapon, he noticed a tiny switch on the top.

_Oh, if this is what I think it is…_

He flicked the switch and then placed his hand in front of the device, and saw bright red and white colors where his hand was. The gun was equipped with a thermal scope; able to detect heat using infrared technology, and suddenly, Leon found himself with a major advantage. Now he had the ability to snipe and take out enemies from afar instead of always engaging them in close quarters combat. The gun itself was already loaded with a full magazine of rifle ammunition, he noticed, and so he took one more clip, just in case he'd need it. He fully expected not to find any more ammunition after this, so loading up was going to be priority here. With the shoulder strap attached to the gun, he slung it over his shoulder, and then reached into the case to pull out the much smaller, but just as powerful, if not more so, weapon--a type of weapon that helped to save his ass six years ago in Raccoon City.

_So we meet again…didn't think I'd find a Magnum revolver here in this forgotten part of the world. Must be my lucky day._

It was a standard Magnum revolver, a gun that wasn't usually used much by Leon. Rules prohibited them in his line of work for the obvious reasons of overpower. It was well known that these guns packed a hell of a punch, could blow one's head off from many feet away, and so use of these was not allowed. Then again, back home, his usual line of work didn't consist of parasitic organisms and monsters borne of genetic mutation, creatures that needed a heavy weapon to put them down. Whoever once had this gun was going to be missing it now. Checking the revolving chamber, he noticed that it had been used before--there was some evidence of gunpowder and there was only a couple of bullets left. A single box of magnum rounds lay in the box, and he found that it was nearly empty--just enough for about a full chamber and a half. He loaded up the gun to full.

He was beginning to notice that he might have been a bit too eager in his desire to carry as much as he could, and as he checked his body, he realized he was going to have part with the medieval style flail that he'd come to love. Despite all of its advantages, the one thing it had against it was the fact that it was rather heavy. With his newfound firepower, he needed to lighten his load a bit, and the small Magnum was considerably lighter. So he swapped. Now fully equipped, he still had full range and ease of movement despite the extra firearms and ammo. The flak jacket was going to be a help as well. Finally done here, he grabbed his handgun and headed for the exit. He was feeling very confident now, and as he headed out the door, he found himself back into a dark hall, and once again, the smell of rotting meat invaded the area.

_Good god, I must be near that kitchen again…_

It wasn't powerful, but it made its presence very much known in this dark section of hall. To his left was a door, and he concluded that it was the locked door that he first saw when he came in from the outside cliffs. However, it appeared that immediately to his right was a stairwell that led upstairs. A sign on the wall pointed in that direction, the words "Operating Room" in fading white lettering against what looked like a dark maroon background.

_Operating room? Looks like Saddler's got his own place to do his evil experiments…if there's an operating room, it probably means there's an entire laboratory setup on the island. I'm sure I can find some way to get this parasite out of me, and Ashley as well, once I find her._

At the top of the stairs, the hallway took a sharp couple of lefts, then emptied out at an intersection. Another sign for the Operating Room pointed off to his left. As he checked his surroundings, he found himself at the center of what probably was a very busy place. In the light of a few still-working florescent bulbs, various manners of hospital equipment lined the walls. Hospital beds, shelves with various canisters and surgical dressings, gurneys and cots, and IV stands were everywhere, creating a narrow hall for Leon to travel.

Curiosity was beginning to get the better of him, and he was beginning to wonder just what bizarre things were here. No doubt Luis was at one time working here under Saddler as a hired scientist…just what was Luis privy to? More importantly, Leon wished to find something that could help him be rid of this parasite, the leash that Saddler gave him. Strange ideas and curious thoughts began to fill the agent's mind as he went down the hall toward the operating room, and what he expected to find was something inhuman, something not unlike the gross, perverse experiments performed on humans that Umbrella had been doing for years with their viral research. He'd seen it first-hand in the Umbrella lab below the city streets.

Navigating the narrow hallway, he took two sharp right turns before coming to a set of blue double doors. Entering, he jogged quickly down a small corridor that emptied out into an area containing various matters of equipment, some of them looking like they were still on. A couple of heart monitors were still active, although they weren't currently being used. A desk along the wall was lined with papers and notebooks that were in disarray. On it, a computer terminal was on, but there was nothing of importance displayed on the screen. A transparent glass window straight ahead of him allowed viewing of what was going on in a small autopsy room, and as Leon walked up to it, he saw something still on the table, surrounded by blood that was splattered all over the tile floor inside.

The creature lying on the table wasn't human, or at least, not human anymore. It was a hulking humanoid creature of similar proportions. The skin was of a dark gray complexion, littered with of scars and sutures. It had considerable bulk and muscle mass to it, most likely a creature designed for power. What looked like its eyes and lips were closed, and many tubes and wires were sticking out of this thing. It wasn't moving, which for the moment, was quite all right with Leon. To his right was a bit of an open space with a few cabinets on the walls. Many wires spanned across the floor, and went under a sliding door that led into another section of the operating room. As he approached, the mechanical sliding door opened, allowing him access.

The agent took a couple steps in, and as the electric door closed behind him, he was greeted with another blast of rotten death, although not as overpowering as it was when he stepped into the facility's kitchen, but it was the sight, not the smell, that raised a flag. Directly in front of him, a corpse was lying on the operating table, his blood-smeared face frozen in twisted fear and agony. A blood-soaked shroud covered the body, with the exception of an opening in the chest and torso area.

_What the hell?_

A dead Plaga parasite was lying on top of the man's open chest, a creature with long, jointed legs--a parasite that looked like a giant daddy longlegs spider. The corpse's exposed heart and lungs looked like they were punctured, as if the creature was trying to escape from its doomed host. The floor around the table, including the cloth partition that sectioned off the room, was covered in dried crimson blood.

_What kind of experiments were they performing here?!_

He took several steps forward, and peered around the partition, only to find another body lying on the floor, propped in a sitting position. A good chunk of his midsection had been blown away by apparent gunfire. From his clothing, he looked like he was one of the villagers, perhaps next in line for some grotesque experimentation. He may have tried to escape and met his maker in doing so. Whatever the case, his curiosity was satisfied, and he had reached a dead end. Now his route would take him in the opposite direction, and as he began to turn around, a loud crash and a sound of breaking glass shot through the silence. And suddenly, he found himself very much in a tight spot.

_Oh, what now?_

As he headed back, the mechanical door slid open--

--and rising to its feet was the gray humanoid mass. The creature rose wobbly, as if it didn't know how to control its muscles, bones, and limbs. Regardless, it became evident that the monster was taller than him, and as it turned its head at the agent, its eyes glowed a bright red, the evident sign that this too was a product of Las Plagas. It pulled its mouth back in a wide leering grin, revealing jagged fangs. Then, very slowly, the monster began to walk toward the agent, emitting raspy sounds as it breathed. In the dim light, Leon could see that its skin was constantly moving, as if there were things crawling around just beneath it.

_Great. Another monster._

Grabbing his shotgun, he quickly aimed at the approaching hulk and fired two shells in quick succession. The loud explosions seemed amplified in the small room, and the shells sliced straight through the freak, spraying gray bits of muscle and tissue all over the floor. The monster let out a loud, raspy roar as the giant hole formed in its torso--

--but the creature didn't fall to the floor! Leon looked on in bewilderment as the creature stood there, surprised that the gunshots didn't send the creature down. He raised his gun again and aimed at its head, eager to finish the job. Suddenly, the massive hole opened by the shotgun shells began to fill itself, with new skin and muscle forming right before Leon's eyes.

_You've got to be kidding…a monster that regenerates damaged tissue! _

The process only took a few seconds, and just like that, it was as if nothing happened to the hulking creation. As the monster resumed its slow walk toward the agent, he grabbed the rifle, hoping that the stronger firepower would be enough to knock this creature down. Switching the scope on, he raised the gun and lined the scope up with his eye. What he saw through the infrared scope was a series of four parasites--three bright red and white blobs that lit up the scope like lightning against a dark sky.

_And they're moving…moving all over his body. Maybe if I take the parasites out…_

He aimed for one crawling near its shoulder and opened fire, sending a loud explosion, louder than the shotgun, through the enclosed space. The recoil caught Leon off-guard, and he stumbled back a step as the slender rifle bullet hit the parasite. This time, the regenerator monster let out a primal shriek of pain as the bullet sliced through its shoulder. The sheer force caused it to stumble back a few steps, and Leon knew that he hit the hidden parasite.

_Those things must be attached to the nerves…_

He loaded the rifle again with a new bullet and aimed again, this time prepared for the rifle butt to slam into his shoulder. Leon saw one that was traveling near the right arm, and he fired again. This one was right on the mark as well, and just like that, the bright red blip dropped off the scope.

_One more…_

Not even waiting for the creature to recover, he aimed at the third one, located in the groin of the monster.

_This one's going to make a kick in the balls feel like a love tap…_

Another booming sound of gunfire shot through the air as he fired cleanly into the Plaga, and another feral shriek replied as the final parasite succumbed to the heavy gunfire. Lowering the weapon, he could see that the creature itself was writhing, and suddenly, the skin began to expand and bubble like it was boiling, and wasting no time, Leon bolted. He ran past the bulging mass of gray flesh, back into the narrow corridor and back into the hallway just in time as the creature's top half exploded. The explosion sent a wave of body parts everywhere, along with a heavy amount of thick, viscous green fluid that hit the floors and surrounding walls with a sickening, sloppy wet slap. A second later, the hips and legs, still attached, fell to the floor, and all was quiet once again.

_Goddamn, Saddler…what were you doing?_

He slowed down so he wouldn't trip over the wires or ram himself into any of the hospital equipment lining the walls, but kept moving quickly all the same. He didn't wish to run into any more of those regenerative freaks, but if he did, he knew how to take them out. He jogged past through the intersection and kept moving through to the other side of the corridor, passing a large metal door that looked like it had ice on it. It was most likely a large freezer of some sort, perhaps an experiment room that required cold temperatures, but after his curiosity led him to the regenerator; he figured that he should just keep going and recover Ashley as soon as possible. Curiosity nearly killed the cat.

**END OF CHAPTER. **


	20. Chapter Nineteen: Extraction

**Chapter Nineteen: Extraction**

_Because of that agent we lost Chief Mendez and Ramon. Nevertheless, everything will proceed according to plan. I must admit however, the loss of my loyal men is a bit disheartening. But I will deal with it. Replacing that loss will not come easy. I must choose wisely; for the Plaga reflects the conscience of their hosts. If chosen poorly, they could betray me. I need men who will swear their allegiance to me. I've learned my lesson when Sera betrayed me. I will not make the same mistake again. In this important hour, I cannot and will not have anyone stand in my way._

_----------------- _

The two goons were gone for now, but she was certain that they'd be back. And if they did, she didn't know if they were going to move her again or something. Whatever the case, she wanted out. Now. Right now. She wanted to be home, back in the comfort and safety of the White House, or back amongst her friends back at her college in Massachusetts…or in the protective arms of Leon.

It was quiet. Too quiet. Even though the cameras had been turned off, she still felt like she was being watched…like she was a caged animal or some sort of scientific experiment. Then again, she partially was. There was a parasite inside her, slowly evolving and maturing inside her body, and it was only a matter of time before she became one of _them_, and she'd already seen those people, slaves to Saddler. Just the thought sent a shiver down her spine. For the moment, though, she was alone with her thoughts once again. And for the moment, she was thinking about an unfamiliar person--she had seen a brief glimpse of her on the way here, a woman in a beautiful red dress. She didn't get a good look at her, for the woman in red opened fire, and everything became a blur during the ensuing retreat. Who or what she was aiming at was unclear, but she was successful in gunning down one of the original three men who had the charge of transporting her from Salazar's tower to this unknown island.

She was probably not under the control of Saddler and the Los Illuminados, but whoever she was, it certainly shook things up a bit. However, another thought came to her mind:

_What if she was working with that man who kidnapped me? That man with the scarred face…?_

Really, she didn't have any idea who she was, or what she was doing here. All she knew was that there was another normal person around. Who knows? Maybe she was working with Leon. And that was another uncertainty in itself--where was he? Was he still safe? Was he the one who saw her on the other end of the surveillance camera? So many questions ran through her head, so many possibilities, so many uncertainties. And no answers. Everything was such a blur to her now. At this point, her situation was one giant question mark. And so she sat on top of a crate in the storage room, looking out the barred window into the moonlit night. At least it was better than that cell she was in back in that horrible church back in the village.

Some minutes later, the ambient silence that surrounded her was broken. She could hear the sound of a door opening somewhere nearby. As the metal door creaked on its ancient hinges, she became rigid and fear began to creep back into her body.

_God, I hope it's not those two again…_

The young girl listened intently toward the hall beyond the cell door, trying to make out the sound over her quickening heartbeat. They were footsteps, and they were moving fast, like someone was walking quickly or jogging. She got up off the crate and ran to the door, hoping that it was him who'd come into her line of vision in a few seconds.

"Help!" she screamed, and began pounding her small fists on the metal door, making as much noise as she could. The footsteps stopped for a second, then continued on, now sounding very close. A second later, the sweaty figure of Leon came into her view, and her heart lifted.

"Leon!" she cried out.

Her liberator turned his head in her direction, and then his face lit up when he saw the captive. "There you are, Ashley!"

He ran to her, and with each second, she could feel her mood changing, getting lighter and happier with relief.

"Get me out of here, Leon! I don't like this place!" All that separated the two now was a door.

"I can't," he said.

Her heart sank. "Why?"

"This door is electronically locked. I need some sort of card key to open it," he said, a slight bit of frustration in his voice.

"Shit!" she said aloud, then quickly gasped when she realized what she uttered.

Leon chuckled as he looked at her expression through the barred window. "What's wrong? Never said a swear word before?"

"Only when I get really annoyed," she said.

"Regardless," Leon began, "without some sort of a card key, I can't get you out. Check your cell--maybe one of those guards dropped something."

"Did that," she said. "Nothing."

"All right, then. Looks like I'll have to find one or find some way to kill the power."

"Hurry back," Ashley pleaded.

"Don't worry--I'll be back in a few minutes. Hang in there just a bit longer." With that, he turned around and jogged back the way he came, coming to a door to his right. And just like that he was out of sight.

_Come back soon, Leon…_

She remained standing behind the thick door, watching the place where Leon exited, hoping…waiting for him to come back with the key to her freedom once again. She couldn't help but feel slightly like a burden, the same negative and pessimistic emotions she felt back in Saddler's castle. Three times now she'd been captured, and three times now Leon was forced to spring her from her captors. She wanted to repay him in kind somehow when this was all over--perhaps with a thank-you gift, something, anything for all the extra work he'd been forced to do. Throughout this whole mess, he had treated her with kindness, and she began to have feelings for Leon. She had these emotions before back in the village, but she had simply passed them off as teenage lust. These were the beginnings of genuine love, attachment. Yes, he was very attractive, and yes, she certainly wouldn't have minded being in bed with him, but now was not the time or the place. Really, she was beginning to care about him, not as someone on her father's staff, but as a person--someone to be with. She was worried, worried that he'd run into something he couldn't get out of, worried that her good fortune might finally run out, worried about what was going on inside her body. And once more, she was alone with these thoughts.

Several minutes had passed since he left, and still he hadn't returned. Before too long, though, she heard the far door open, the same one Leon entered from just a few minutes ago.

_Who's that?_

The door closed with a loud forceful bang, and then she could hear the sounds of footsteps once again. In contrast to Leon's, these were slow and heavy, almost thudding against the concrete ground. She could hear the clattering of metal as the unknown thing made its way deeper into the corridor and closer to her. Along with the shuffling of metal, she could make out its labored, heavy breathing, accompanied by a quick grunt with each plodding step. Whatever it was, she knew it wasn't someone she'd wished to associate herself with.

And for good reason. As it turned the corner and into Ashley's view, she could see a tall, large figure of a man, noticeably round in the midsection. His body was covered from neck to foot with pieces of plate armor which jangled as the fat man walked closer to her cell. His shoulders were covered with spiky metal armor which was used for ramming into enemies, judging by the dark dried blood evident on one of his shoulders. His round, bald head was covered with dirt and sweat, and his face featured a very grim expression. He was equipped with a large spiked sledgehammer, a massive weapon almost as tall as he was. The thing was extremely heavy, but he was carrying it with no problems at all.

_What does he want with me?_

She began to move back from the door in fear, but it became apparent that the large man wasn't coming for her. He had made it to the cell door and stopped, then turned around, blocking her sight into the hallway.

_Oh, no…he's been sent to guard the door..._

And as this thought began to settle in, another quickly flashed in her mind, causing a wave of panic to shoot through her.

_LEON!_

_--------------- _

With the card key now in his possession, thanks to a note from Ada, Leon found himself back outside, walking quickly on a bridge that led to a dead end. More specifically, the bridge led to what looked like some sort of communications tower. He'd seen a sign somewhere along the wall pointing in the direction, and if it wasn't too much further, he'd risk checking it out. Just as well, for that research lab gave him the creeps. Even though there was nothing there that could hurt him, it was the fact that he was surrounded in Plaga experiments, samples in various stages of research from Petri dish cultures to masses of flesh and tissues, which gave the scene an off-putting feeling. Seeing as how he'd reached a dead end, he'd have to go back through there.

For the moment, he wanted to check out the communications tower. Maybe, if he was lucky, he could call for some sort of backup--an evac chopper, some reinforcements, anything to help him out. Primarily, he wanted Ashley off this island and into safe hands. He still had a job to do: Luis' dying wish, getting the parasite sample back. While he still hadn't been completely sure what its importance was, he did know that it was something Saddler coveted. Something about that particular sample was of major importance; otherwise Luis would not have been killed so viciously to get it back. Once in Leon's possession, he'd most likely destroy it, get rid of it once and for all.

The cloudy sky above him was starting to lighten up. Nightfall was fading on the horizon, and it was probably another hour or so before sunrise. How long would he be here he didn't know, but the sooner this was all done and over with, the better. Once this was all said and done, he was due for a long shower and plenty of sleep. However, he'd have to settle for cool air as he rode up the lift to the top of the tower. Once there, he walked along the narrow metal path that went around the communications room until he got to a door that was already slightly open. Upon entering, he found the top of the tower in immediate disarray--a few boxes stacked on top of one another, papers strewn on some tables, but it was the long control panel that grabbed his eye.

_I hope you still work…_

In the center was a microphone, and some knobs and switches were lined up next to it. Rushing over, he flipped a switch on, and the sounds of static filled the room. The thing still had power, which was a start. If there was also one thing he knew, it was that radio stations and frequencies were universal. It looked like it operated via citizens band radio, CB for short. Turning the station dial to channel 9, the universal frequency used by law enforcement in the event of an emergency, he grabbed the mike and pressed a button to begin transmitting. It was an extreme long shot, but he knew he had to try.

"Hello! Can anyone hear me? This is Leon…request backup."

Nothing but static.

"Repeat! Requesting backup!"

Some seconds passed, and yet all that came back was perpetual static. It was useless.

"Damn it," he said to himself before switching the radio off. He should have expected as much from this remote part of the world, but he did feel just the slightest bit disappointed. Despite the setback, there was nothing more he could do about it--he had to get back to Ashley's holding cell. With card key in hand, he turned around and left the tower.

He knew something was up when he headed back into the hall where Ashley was contained and found himself standing only feet away from a giant fat man who was covered in plate armor. Before he'd even fully entered the hall, he heard a loud guttural cry followed by Ashley screaming his name, and suddenly the hulking brute was walking quickly at him, raising a giant spiked sledgehammer.

_Jeez!_

He barely had time to react before the massive weapon came down, and he dove out of the way. Ashley screamed again, and as Leon quickly scrambled to his feet, he pulled out his newly acquired Magnum and aimed for the hulking man's head, not wanting to take any chances. He had to test it somehow--if it didn't work, he could chuck it and use something else. He opened fire as the fat man raised his spiked hammer, and a booming peal of gunfire bounced off the walls as the bullet sailed through the air.

Almost instantly, the man's head literally exploded in front of Leon's eyes as the bullet smashed clean through with such explosive force, and a wave of crushed bone, brain and skin splattered all over the walls and onto the concrete floor. It all happened so fast that the rest of the body itself took another few steps toward Leon, not realizing that it was missing the head, before crashing down to the floor and beginning to pour blood from its open neck.

_Well, we know the gun works._

"Leon!" Ashley exclaimed as the place became silent. "Are you okay?"

He jogged into view, smiling. "Yeah, never better."

He slid the card key through the reader, and the red light on the lock changed to green, accompanied by a loud beep. The sound of a bolt unlocking the door came next, and just like that, Ashley was free. The door hadn't even opened fully, and she barged out, giving her savior another hug of appreciation.

"You okay?" Leon asked reassuringly.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she answered.

"Good. Come on, let's get out of here."

"Before we do," she began, then reached into the leg of her boot and pulled out a piece of paper, "this note came flying through the window in the cell. Says something about an escape."

"Hmm," he replied, taking the crumpled piece of paper from her. He read:

--Perhaps you have it figured out already, but you might be able to get out of here by using the waste disposal vent.--

The note was unsigned, but a nice dark red lipstick mark in the lower right corner told him who it was from. Why she was helping him, he didn't know, but for whatever reason, he was grateful.

He tossed the note to the ground, and once again fixed his gaze on Ashley. "All right, let's go. Follow me."

A couple minutes later, they were back in the large waste disposal area, and for the moment, all was silent, save for the plethora of flies in and about this garbage-filled chamber. He walked to the edge of the platform and saw a vertical drop of many feet, but he could see a passage below that would take him somewhere away from here. Somehow, he suspected that Ada wouldn't lure him into a trap--most likely she wanted to keep him around for something Leon still had no luck getting out of her. For the moment, however, the only way out was taking the leap into the garbage chute.

"Looks like this is it," he said to her. As she took a step closer, she was greeted with a whiff of stinking, rotting garbage, and she quickly put a hand up to her nose and mouth to block the smell.

"Oh, man, it stinks!" she exclaimed.

"Sure does," he replied.

An awkward silence passed between the two, and then a sly, mischievous smirk spread across Leon's face. Ashley saw it, and immediately knew exactly what she was thinking.

"No way, Leon," she said, backing away from the edge.

He grabbed her wrist. "Way."

Leon dragged her forward, and the two of them leaped into the air, with Ashley screaming all the while as they plunged down into the darkness.

They landed in a nice pile of smelly trash several seconds later, and as Leon got up and brushed himself off, Ashley looked like she'd just been on a thrill ride. Leon still had a smile on his face, rather amused.

"Are you out of your mind?" she shrieked.

"I knew you'd be fine if you landed on your butt," he said, chuckling.

Her face showed a look of surprise. "You…!"

Leon held out his hand, and before she could continue with that line of thought, she accepted and was pulled to her feet.

"Thanks," she said, brushing herself off.

"No problem. Come on, let's go."

------------------

Inside the radio tower, a bored-looking Jack Krauser was tossing his knife up into the air, catching it and tossing it up again. Wanting to get this done and over with so he could continue his objective issued to him by both Saddler and Wesker, he didn't wish to be bothered by trivial things like reporting to the bitch. However, Wesker ordered it, so he had no choice but to comply. He continued leaning against the wall and looking straight out the window, not even bothering to even look at her.

"What's the news on our friend Leon?" he asked, throwing his knife up into the air again.

"He's not making it easy," she replied. "The sample?"

"Saddler's got it. It seems he's sniffed out our little game."

"Perfect," she said, faking disappointment.

He knew too that she had her own aims for this objective, he could sense it in her face, her body language, the way she carried herself. She could care less about the revitalization, but she was important to this mission. Wesker hired her here, so there was something. Regardless, he didn't trust her at all. He turned, finally looking directly at her, forcing himself not to just kill her right there. Her smug look annoyed the hell out of him, the way she crossed her arms and looked at him like he was scum.

"Just so we understand one another clearly," he began, his voice deep and authoritative, "I don't trust you, nor does Wesker. If you try to do anything clever, I'll kill you."

She scoffed. "Is that so? You know, I met Wesker long before you."

"We'll see soon enough if you did," he replied.

"Yeah, we'll see." With that, Krauser got up and put his knife back in its shoulder sheath and without any further word, slipped outside the tower and off into the fading night.

_Asshole._

It was about time for her to get going as well, and so she slipped back outside and walked toward the lift. As she stepped on the lift and began descending, her communications device beeped some seconds later, almost as if on cue. Wesker would be awaiting a status report. She grabbed the phone and accepted the incoming call.

"Yes?" she began, knowing that introductions weren't needed.

"Looks like Leon's made quite a jolly mess," Wesker replied. "But it's all for the better. Saddler's people have fallen into a panic…with Leon having gotten rid of their chief and the young castellan; they've lost their organization, their guidance. Their destruction is only a matter of time!"

"He's been quite useful, and also lucky," Ada said, walking toward the research lab. "Although once he gets Ashley back, his job is finished. He won't be a factor anymore."

"That's where you're wrong," Wesker replied firmly. "I'm leaving Leon to our man Krauser." Ada stopped dead in her tracks.

_So I was right, you bastard…_

"Hurry up and retrieve the sample." Before Wesker could say anything more, she ended the transmission and looked down at the black device in her hand. Anger was starting to build up inside of her, and now that her suspicions were confirmed, she had to get to Leon, and fast.

"Maybe you've forgotten, Wesker," she said to the device. "I don't play by your rules."

Some time later, she found herself on what looked like a service road, and it was a mess. The scene was a mess of twisted steel and metal, of concrete and pieces of broken road. Several bodies lined the road, some looking like they'd been shot, some looking like they'd been run over by what looked like a massive vehicle, almost like they'd been run over by a bulldozer. Up ahead, a rather large truck was blocking the path, and there was no way around it--the entire vehicle was on fire. Bright yellow and orange flame towered high into the sky, and even from fifty feet away, she could feel the heat pouring off the inferno.

_Leon and Ashley must not be too far ahead…_

On the left of the road, an open passageway cut into the concrete wall led somewhere, and at this point, it was her only course of action. She was now racing against the clock, and now that Krauser was definitely on the move to dispose of Leon, time was of the essence. She ran inside and went down the dimly lit corridor, and turned a right and continued on until making another right. Only when she saw the opening up ahead did she realize that she just navigated a way around the burning, smoldering vehicle. Now in front of the truck, she continued running down the hill. It took much work, training, and practice to be able to run in black high heels, but here she was, running as fast as she could down the hill, with the night air whipping through her midnight black hair.

At the bottom of the hill was a large enclosed opening, and from the rails going up from the ground, it was most likely a lift for some large machinery. And from the look of it, the lift was already gone. She'd have to find another way. However, all was not lost--to her left, there was another open passageway, another point of entry to somewhere, and without a second thought, she ran into the passage. Narrow and dimly lit like the other, she followed the passage straight on, and she noticed that the path began to gently descend.

A minute or two later, the concrete walls gave way to hard stone and earth, and still downward she went. She could smell salty ocean air as she continued her descent, and now her mind began to wonder where she was going to end up, and just how far out of the way she was going. She didn't have to wait long. Up ahead, she could hear humming sounds of machinery and as the passage finally opened up, her eyes met a place she didn't think existed. Suddenly, the scope of Saddler's intentions became much more dangerous.

_My god, it's an underground harbor…_

And it was exactly that. A massive underground harbor, buried well out of anyone's sight. What Saddler's intentions were before were now much clearer, and much more blatant. She was standing in front of a docked battleship, and from the looks of it, it wasn't just some ruin or giant piece of military junk. It was a polished, working craft that had been re-commissioned. She ventured deeper into the harbor, thinking.

_My, my, my, Saddler…just what were you planning? Looks like you're planning something a bit more than simple religious conversion…god, you're sick. Power-hungry, just like most men who get a whiff of power and control. Trying to compensate for something, are we? What were you going to do, take on the world by force? I wonder where you got this nice-looking battleship; anyway…let's check it out._

Standing now at the bow of the massive craft, she reached down to her thigh and grabbed her grappling gun, then aimed it at a beam on the battleship. She fired, and the hook flew out of the gun for several seconds before it wrapped itself around the beam. A second later, she pulled the trigger, and suddenly she was being pulled almost straight up to the deck of the ship.

Leaping onto said deck, she took the grapple and set it back into the device, then placed it back on her thigh belt. Needless to say, she was impressed. It was completely ready for battle, equipped with gun turrets and everything. This was no showpiece--Saddler meant business.

_I wonder what he'd do if I had some fun with his toy?_

"_¡Te voy a matar!"_

A second later, a crossbow dart when whizzing through the air directly at her, missing her face by a few inches as the arrow flew by her ear and into the wall behind her. Quickly, she turned her head in the direction of the scream and saw a number of Saddler's soldier _ganados_coming out of various places in and about the ship, all of them armed and coming right at her, intent on disposing of the intruder. She grabbed her handgun, and a wicked smile came across her face.

_Time for some fun!_

_------------------ _

The flaming truck was zooming toward them at a fast speed, with the intention of stopping the escaping Americans once and for all. A loud horn sounded over the loud roar of the bulldozer, which then followed an immediate scream of pure terror by Ashley, who was trying to navigate their way forward. However, it was going to come to an end any second--with the burning truck going headlong at them, the buck was going to stop right here. The booming truck horn sounded again, and as Ashley let out another piercing shriek, she could hear the sound of gunfire over the awful din.

_Got him!_

A couple seconds later, she suddenly saw the truck began to twist and turn violently, slamming hard into the concrete and metal walls as the driver lost control of the vehicle.

"Ashley, stop!" Leon yelled, but it was useless. She was frozen in fear, mesmerized by the now runaway truck still rapidly charging at them. It would be on them in seconds.

_No, not now, Ashley!_

Suddenly, the massive vehicle turned sharply to the left, too sharply. The momentum suddenly caused the truck to lean heavily to its right, and suddenly it was turning over. A series of loud crashes filled the air as the flaming truck rolled onto the tarmac with a sharp crunch of metal and concrete, and then rolled over again, landing on its side and skidding toward them. A massive metal fireball was coming straight for them.

"ASHLEY!" Leon yelled at the top of his lungs, finally getting her attention. Suddenly, she screamed again and turned the bulldozer hard to the left, somehow hoping to avoid the oncoming fireball in the narrow road. The quick lurch caused Leon to lose his balance, and he fell back down onto the cargo bed. He heard the scraping metal and flame getting closer, but he couldn't see it. A second later, he heard a gigantic crash followed by the shaking of the bulldozer. Debris began to fall all around him as the large construction vehicle slammed into a building along the service road. The noise of roaring machinery and breaking concrete drowned out all else, even his voice when he yelled out Ashley's name, and he was certain that this was it, it was finished, Saddler had won--

--and after several seconds seemed like an eternity, the bulldozer had finally come rest inside of a darkened structure. With the exception of the roaring flames outside and the pounding of Leon's heart, all was once again quiet. Several seconds had passed since their little adventure ended, and Ashley was the first one to speak.

"Leon? You okay?"

_Oh, thank god…_

He let out a sigh of relief, then stood up and began brushing the dust off him. "Yeah, I'm fine." Leon jumped over the side of the cargo bed and landed on the ground a few feet behind Ashley. "Where did you learn to drive?"

Ashley shrugged her shoulders, then smirked. "No clue. Dumb luck, I guess."

"Speaking of dumb luck, where are we?"

With the heavy bulldozer now out of commission thanks to a crash landing inside another of the facility's buildings, Leon and Ashley were forced to continue their escape on foot. Granted, it'd been fun while it lasted--mowing over Saddler's men with ease while Leon took out pursuers from the rear. He'd been impressed with the way she handled driving a bulldozer, and it had proved very helpful to get to this point. Where they were now, they had no idea, but they knew they had to keep moving forward. Making their way through the newly-created debris, they walked through an open passageway which led into another dark room. Leon turned on his belt light, and in the beam of white light, he made out a small section of tables and chairs a few feet in front of them. A few counters and shelves were along the walls, and from what Leon could make out, a few assorted candy wrappers and food containers were on the floor.

_Looks like a mess hall of some kind…wonder if there's some food nearby. Looks like there's nothing to eat here._

The only other thing here was the exit to the far left of the mess hall.

"Let's keep going," Leon told Ashley, and carefully, they walked the length of the hall and out the door, finding themselves in a much bigger area. Fading moonlight filtered in through vent openings in the walls, allowing enough light to see with. Ahead, a raised platform stood a few feet above the floor--

--and there he was standing atop the platform, as if he knew that the two of them were bound to come through here.

_Saddler._

His had his back facing them, staring off at the wall in front of him. He was no longer wearing his purple hood, exposing his slicked back dark hair. The two of them stopped dead in their tracks upon seeing the robed figure, and suddenly, anger began to surge through Leon once again. Ashley gasped in shock and stood quickly moved behind Leon. A smile spread across Saddler's face as he heard the girl gasp. They had fallen into his trap.

The leader of the Los Illuminados chuckled to himself. "I can feel them growing ever so strongly inside you." He turned around to face them, and still, he smiled. His inhuman eyes were wide with anticipation as he saw the scared girl move back a couple of steps.

"Saddler!" Leon yelled in anger, and without warning, he grabbed his Magnum and ran at the insane man, revenge entirely on his mind. Without even blinking, Saddler raised his left arm and held out his hand as if aiming it at Leon; and suddenly, the Plaga staff that Saddler was holding came to life. The head began to flail its tendrils wildly, clearly excited. Almost instantly, Leon felt the parasite inside physically move inside him as it reacted to its master's call, sending a massive, crippling wave of pain throughout his entire body, forcing him to his knees, screaming in agony.

Ashley's eyes grew wide with fear, and all she could do was watch helplessly as her protector writhed uncontrollably on the ground, screaming and clutching at his body in sheer pain.

Saddler chuckled again, louder. "Perhaps you can resist, but you cannot disobey." He held his hand there for a few more seconds, watching the agent writhe on the floor and enjoying the scene immensely, and then he aimed it at Ashley.

"Now, come to me, my dear Ashley," he said, his voice trancelike. For a split second, her body jerked, as if it was trying to resist the invisible force that was coming from his outstretched hand.

"No!" Leon uttered, trying to will himself against the unbearable, excruciating pain and make his way toward Ashley. To Leon's horror, he saw her body slump forward, head and arms down. She stood there for a few seconds like that, motionless, and then slowly, she lifted her head as if she was a robot, as if she was in a trance. Her eyes had glazed over, changed from their dark brown to a bright, glowing red. A second later, she began walking very slowly and methodically toward him, her face showing complete lack of emotion, her body and mind a slave to the parasite, a slave to Osmund Saddler. And all Leon could do was watch in horror, writhing on the ground like a helpless worm as Saddler's invisible force kept him in pure agony, feeling as if every organ, every muscle in his body was being ripped apart.

The parasite had completely taken over Ashley Graham.

-------------------

**END OF CHAPTER. **Hope you're still reading. Please keep the reviews up! Just a notice: going away to see my family for Thanksgiving, so no updates until after the holiday--hope this will tide you over till the next update!


	21. Chapter Twenty: Former Comrades

**Note:**Back from spending Thanksgiving with my family--hope you all had enjoyable holidays. Now it's back to the grind, and here is another chapter for your reading pleasure. Glad to see the reviews trickling in, as well as a lot of you adding this story to your favorites, as well as myself as a favorite author! How nice of you! Coming to the point of this beginning-of-chapter note, I have to clarify something that pops up in reviews I've been getting lately. I've been getting a number of reviews from those of you who are Ashley x Leon shippers--which are all well and good. The more female gamers and readers I can gather is great--Resident Evil is one of those series that features both female and male lead characters, good and evil. However, a couple of you shippers seem to slightly frown on the fact that I give Ada more screen time than I do Ashley. I do this for a few reasons:

--One, Ada is in fact, a main character. Not only does she play a very pivotal role in the events of RE4, she is also a pivotal character in RE2, which was also Leon's debut. Leon and Ada establish a relationship in the game, helping each other get out of Raccoon City. Not to delve too much into the plot of Resident Evil 2, but there is a definite romantic element between these two characters. As such, those two characters, their past relationship and interaction, carries over into here. In the game itself, much of what goes on behind the scenes during Leon's game are directly caused by Ada. Play the "Separate Ways" scenario in the PS2 or Wii version of the game.

--Two, Ashley doesn't do a whole lot in this game. She gets kidnapped and recaptured many times in the game, and doesn't have much screen time at all. All the scenes I write with solely Ashley are not even in the game. I add them because I want to build her character. To me, she is a bit more than the sniveling, whiny, stuck-up bitch that she is in the game. She's scared. Panicked. Frightened. Slightly lustful.

--Three, play Leon's scenario of Resident Evil 2 if you haven't already. As much as many of you would like to see me thrown in a hot, steamy sex scene between Leon and Ashley, it's not going to happen in this story. That's a far, far deviation away from the canon of the game and the series, and it doesn't fit. Playing this game and playing RE2, Leon's more likely to have a one-nighter with Ada. Also, by playing RE2, you'll have a much better understanding of Leon and Ada's characters.

Don't be disappointed, though! After this is done, I may write up a Leon x Ashley blurb to thank all those shippers who've read my story and reviewed it!

**Chapter Twenty: Former Comrades**

_NO! NOT AGAIN!_

He managed to reach into one of his storage pouches, and mustering up his strength against the pain, he fished out and hurled a tiny object through the air before collapsing back down onto the concrete floor. It landed on Ashley's back, and attached itself to her shirt. A tiny red light began flashing. Saddler, too caught up in his actions, didn't notice the small homing device placed on her back. Leon tried to get up and grab his gun, but the pain, the intense agony kept him from so much as getting one knee on the ground.

Ashley's body slowly walked up the few steps to the platform where the controlling monster stood. He held out his hand to Ashley, almost as if it was a kind gesture. She placed her hand inside his, and then, silently, the two of them turned and began slowly walking away from Leon, walking toward an unseen exit. Several seconds after they were out of his sight, the wracking pains suddenly stopped, and Leon collapsed in a heap on the floor, breathing heavily as he began to regain control of his body.

_Fuck you too, Saddler…_

He got to his feet a minute later, and anger began to take the place of fading pain. How many more times was he going to let Ashley get back into the enemy's possession? Every time he regained possession, Saddler always figured out a way to get it right back. However, using his mind control was going too far. It was one thing to physically take her--it was another thing to hypnotize her and make her his slave. Next time he saw him, he'd waste no time with talk--he'd open fire at his head. He wouldn't even give Saddler a second to chuckle like he was in control all along.

And so, once again, the agent found himself playing catch-up. Where she was now was anyone's guess, but he wasn't going to get anywhere standing here. Grabbing his shotgun, he ran up the stairs and saw a door toward the direction where Ashley and Saddler went. Past the door, he ran down the hall and hung a left, which then brought him to a staircase.

_What's that noise?_

He was hearing something, a noise that sounded like hissing coming from somewhere close by. It was getting progressively lighter and warmer, lighter in the sense that he was approaching an area with electric light as opposed to sky. He did notice that the walls and ceiling was lined with an interconnected series of pipes and vents, and as he reached the bottom of the stairwell, the noise was growing louder. He had come upon a furnace or boiler room. Three large incinerators were in full power; large, hot masses of metal storing and burning whatever was inside--coal, garbage, bodies, whatever, most likely to power some part of the island. And oh, it was hot.

_Whoever works here has a real shitty job…_

Heat and gas escaped from small cracks in the vents and pipes, but other than that, the area looked fairly sound. Moving straight ahead, he went through the only doorway, and quickly noticed the change in temperature from humid heat to nighttime cold. It was dark in here once again, with only slits and windows high along the wall allowing in natural light. Regardless, the coming of dawn and what moonlight remained cast enough of a pale white glow throughout this new area, enough for Leon to see anyway. As he jogged along the corridor and hung a left, he could see through the metal fencing that this was a large room, a place the size of a warehouse. Several tall metal tanks were in and about the area, and for the moment, all was quiet.

He came upon another powered lift, which he stepped on and powered up. It didn't take long, less than ten seconds, until the lift stopped on the second floor of this large warehouse. He found himself on a straight and narrow path, and he could easily see that the path opened up onto a wide clearing of sorts, possibly used as some sort of staging area. Above him were several catwalks and very narrow walkways, but none of them leading to any sort of exit.

As he walked along the path and into the clearing, he heard a noise that stopped him immediately--it sounded like a footstep on the metal floor coming from just feet behind him.

_I'm not alone, it seems…_

He waited. A second went by.

Then another.

And another.

Leon reached to his shoulder sheath and drew his combat knife, and poised himself for attack. Quickly, he spun around and slashed the blade in front of him--

--and sliced into empty air. No one was behind him. He darted his eyes left and right, still alert.

_Someone's there, I know it…_

Suddenly, a loud sound of metal and someone running came from above, and as Leon looked above, he saw a man in the air, grabbing a pipe on the descent, and was quickly coming down with a knife over the agent's head--

--and he dove out of the way as the man hit the floor with a loud clang, but not quick enough; the sharp blade cut into Leon's cheek. It was a flesh wound, but it was bleeding noticeably.

_Fuck, that's sharp!_

As Leon rolled over, he got up and faced his attacker, an angry look across his face as he wiped the blood away with onto the glove covering his free left hand.

_He looks familiar…_

The man remained crouched for a few seconds while a few drops of Leon's blood dripped off the tip of the knife and hit the floor. As he got up, he remained in battle stance and fixed his hard, cold gaze on his target, the man who Wesker ordered be killed. The man he was once friends with.

"Been a long time, comrade," he said to the bleeding agent.

Leon's eyes opened in obvious shock as the scarred face and deep voice rang in his memory--a memory of a man who was his former training partner, a man who was once great friends with him, a man who was an excellent soldier and ally…

…and a man who was supposed to be dead.

_No…it can't be! You died in that helicopter crash…_

"Krauser!" Leon exclaimed. He lowered his guard, lowering his right arm, the knife-wielding arm, and looked on as Krauser too did the same and began to walk clockwise.

"I died in the crash two years ago…is that what they told you?"

And suddenly, it all became abundantly clear to Leon. All the intelligence, all the information he had leading up to this point, the speculation, the possible leads, everything--everything was crystal clear, blazing in Leon's mind like a branding iron.

_You kidnapped Ashley!_

His mouth caught up to his brain an instant later, and he too began to circle in tandem with Krauser. "You're the one who kidnapped Ashley!"

Krauser didn't even look up, his mind preoccupied with the blood-tipped weapon in his hands, but he acknowledged the remark with a smirk. "You catch on quick, as expected." He closed the distance between them, and continued twirling that knife in his finger. "After all, both you and I know where we come from." Suddenly, he turned around and lunged with his knife, almost catching the agent off guard. Leon quickly moved out of the way and swiped the air toward Krauser's already scarred face, forcing him back as Leon returned another lunge at his assailant's face.

_One more won't hurt…_

Now both of them returned to their defensive stances with knifes held out, circling the floor beneath them as if in a dance.

"What do you want?" Leon asked angrily.

Krauser grunted and swiped in a wide arc at Leon, who moved back to avoid the blade, and before Leon had time to return the favor, Krauser cut through the air upwards, attempting a slicing uppercut and missing Leon's torso by mere inches.

"The sample Saddler developed, that's all," Krauser replied, resuming his defensive stance. The two of them continued their dangerous dance, looking for a moment to catch the other off guard.

Krauser lunged again, this time for Leon's neck, letting out another loud grunt. Leon matched him once again, raising his own blade in defense. The metal collided, showering some sparks on the ground as Leon deflected the blade. The agent spun around quickly, and now the two of them had reversed positions.

_You've fucking lost it, Krauser!_

Heart pounding and breathing heavily, the agent looked at his former comrade with a look of complete contempt and bitter scorn.

"Leave Ashley out of this!" Leon yelled.

"Oh, I needed her to buy Saddler's trust in me," Krauser began, walking behind a barrel lying on the ground. He lowered his weapon and gazed at the defending Leon. "Like you, I'm American."

_YOU FUCKING BASTARD--_

Suddenly, with a loud grunt, the attacker kicked the heavy metal drum into the air with superhuman strength as if the container was simply a football.

_SHITSHITSHIT--_

His body reacting solely on pure reflex, Leon's free arm raised and swiped the metal barrel coming directly at his face, knocking it out of the way just in time to see Krauser running right at him with his knife raised high, going right for his neck--

--and Leon brought the knife up as he was falling, his blade meeting Krauser's in midair, deflecting the dangerous weapon, sending some more sparks into the air as the knives met with a loud slicing sound.

The dangerous dance and deliberate acrobatics continued on as Leon did a backwards somersault, landing squarely on his feet at the exact moment Krauser's hands hit the metal grating, which then was followed by a flip backward so that the two of them had their backs faced each other. Leon's face was twisted in rage, not believing what Krauser was saying.

"You got her involved just for _that?!_" Leon yelled, and then without warning, he got up and rushed Krauser, lunging and stabbing the air at him. Krauser deflected each attack, and for several seconds, the two of them traded attacks and parries, dodges and attempted blows, darting around the wide floor like a dangerous, delicate ballet. Rage took hold of Leon, and in one desperate attack, he slashed at his attacker--

--and the blade met shirt and skin, ripping a long diagonal gash up Krauser's torso which instantly became a bloody tear and forced Krauser back several steps.

_One for you, Krauser…and now one for me…_

If Krauser was in any pain, he didn't show any obvious emotion. Leon, still running high on adrenaline and covered in sweat, resumed his defensive position. The undead comrade grinned, chuckled, and then charged at the agent, and once again they engaged in close quarters combat.

_You're mine, Krauser!_

Leon was ready for his charge, and suddenly, he gripped the thick, muscular wrist of the former soldier and twisted it as hard as he could, forcing him to turn around. As Leon attempted to cut Krauser's face, it was as if Krauser knew his attack pattern, and stopped Leon's hand. Both of them remained deadlocked in each other's arms for several seconds, grunting and gritting teeth, as each one tried to force the other to concede. Unexpectedly, Krauser grabbed Leon's arm and spun him around, then delivered a quick kick to the agent's back. The force knocked the knife out of Leon's hand, and he hit the floor front first with a loud thud, knocking the wind out of him. His knife landed several feet away from him. Krauser now had the advantage.

_I'm done--he's got me…_

Krauser stood several feet from his fallen man, looking at him with complete disgust.

"All for Umbrella's sake…"

_What?_

Leon perked up, gasping. "Umbrella?"

Krauser looked up, his attention diverted for the briefest moment. "Almost let it slip…"

_Well, well, well…_

"Enough talk! _DIE, comrade!_" Before Leon could grab his knife, Krauser leapt through the air, knife held high and pointed down as he was going for Leon's heart. Summoning his strength, Leon raised his arms and wrapped them around Krauser's wrist just as he landed, the tip of the blade inches away from his neck. It began to descend slowly, Krauser's strength overpowering Leon's.

_I…can't…hold!_

Grunting, he could see Krauser's determined look, forcing with all of his strength downward as Leon tried to force his arm away. It kept descending slowly and slowly, the shiny messenger of death barely two inches from his neck, and Leon knew that Krauser was stronger, had more endurance. He was finished.

_ASHLEY…no! NO!_

It was all going to end right here, but he had to keep moving. His arms were at the breaking point, ready to give and let the knife pierce his body--

--when suddenly, a shot rang out from above. The bullet hit the knife with a sharp _ping_and knocked it out of Krauser's hands and onto the floor. Quickly noticing the brief distraction, Leon pulled his leg back and kicked the distracted attacker squarely in the chest, knocking him down to the ground. The agent quickly rolled to one side and got up fast, then looked in the direction of where the shot came from. Coming into view on one of the catwalks to his left was his newfound savior--

"Ada!" Leon yelled.

Krauser got to his feet and looked at the traitor. "Well, if it isn't the bitch in the red dress."

With her gun pointed directly at Krauser's chest, she looked down at the two men and smiled. "It looks like we have the upper hand here."

Krauser chuckled, and then he leapt high into the air with inhuman strength and agility onto a ledge that was a good twenty feet above Leon.

_Holy hell!_

The surprised Leon took several steps toward Krauser, then stopped and withdrew his gun.

"You may be able to prolong your life," Krauser began angrily, "but it's not like you can escape your inevitable death, is it?"

Before Leon could reply, Krauser ran off, leaving Ada and Leon alone.

Several seconds later, after Krauser's footsteps faded into silence, Leon walked over and picked up Krauser's discarded knife as Ada jumped off and landed on the platform where the two men were fighting moments earlier.

"You…knew each other?" Ada asked, walking towards Leon.

"More or less," he replied. "Maybe it's about time you told me the reason why you're here?"

Ada walked right past him, not even so much as looking at him.

"Maybe some other time," she said.

All he could do was look at her back as she kept right on going, resisting the urge to pull her black ribbon that trailed around her neck and demand some answers. Her delicately curved body moved sensuously in her red dress, and he noticed the distinct movement of her deliciously formed ass as she walked toward the railing. Not even bothering with any more words, she leaped over the railing and out of sight, and Leon was once again left alone in silence--this time, with some answers and some new questions.

_Still playing that game, Ada…just how long are you going to keep me in the dark for? _

Looking down at the blade of Krauser in his hand, he saw his own reflection in the shiny metal. A pensive, contemplative, dirt-stained and slightly bloodied face stared back at him.

_Krauser…back from the dead, it seems. Makes perfect fucking sense now about how Ashley got kidnapped. We suspected it was an insider all along…and no one would even think that a dead guy could do something like kidnapping the President's daughter. A dead man makes the perfect insider, the perfect man for the job. And for what? Umbrella? What the hell kind of reward did Umbrella wave in his face to do something so stupid? Did they make an offer to him he couldn't refuse? I wonder if he too works for Saddler…or for Wesker like Ada does. Looks like I was right about Umbrella not fully down and out…all we did was attack the external persona, the façade. Regardless--_

The beeping of his communications device interrupted his train of thought.

_Figures. Now what?_

He grabbed the device and took the call, and in a couple of seconds, the image of a hoodless Saddler came into view, smiling at the annoyed agent.

_Bastard. It's like he's watching my every move._

"Enjoy the reunion with your old friend?"

"As a matter of fact, I did," Leon replied.

"Wonderful," he said, maintaining his ceaseless grin. "I wouldn't want my special guests on the island feeling unattended."

"Guess I'm supposed to thank you, right?"

"There's no need," the leader replied. "But…since you're here, I want to introduce you to another friend of mine. He should keep you busy."

_Great. Most likely another monster._

"Can't remember his name? Perhaps you're having a senior moment," Leon quipped.

Saddler let out a hearty chuckle at that line.

_You won't be laughing when I fill your head with lead, Saddler…_

"Enjoy the fun," was all Saddler said before he ended the call, leaving Leon alone with his thoughts once again.

_Prick._

Attempting to call back would be useless, and for the moment, Leon was free to continue forward on his objective to recover Ashley--again. However, now he had the added bonus of watching out for both Krauser and this new monster Saddler was sending Leon's way. Putting the device away, he still was holding Krauser's knife in his hand, the knife that nearly killed Leon.

_Krauser, you've become nothing more than Umbrella's slave…_

With one quick motion, he threw the knife over the ledge. Before the blade even hit the concrete floor, he was off and running to the other end of the warehouse in search for an exit.

A minute later, after jumping down off of two platforms to find the door, he found himself standing in a strange, metallic room with tiled floor. All around him, the walls were shiny like they were made of polished metal, and directly ahead was a shiny set of double doors made from the same polished metal. Several monitors and control panels were placed about the room. Opening the double doors immediately yielded a long and narrow, brightly lit corridor. It looked like a tight fit--only several feet wide and not much taller than Leon, perhaps a foot or two.

_Hmm…_

He slowly took several steps into the corridor, looking all around the white walls for any signs of surveillance equipment. He wasn't deep into the confined hallway when suddenly; several tiny black devices appeared from hidden spots in the walls, forcing him to come to a dead stop. They sparked a bit, and then shot three red hot laser wires just inches from where Leon stood. Two vertical wires moved left and right, crossing each other as they passed by while a third wire, horizontally moved directly up and down, spanning the narrow distance from wall to wall. As he felt the heat coming off the red beams, he realized that these weren't lasers meant to trip an alarm--these were meant to slice right into you and melt you.

_A laser grid. Cute. Looks like this is a place that requires the tightest of security; didn't expect Saddler to take a tip from the movies, though. _

He waited simply for the lasers to move and create an opening wide enough for him to go through. The agent needed only a few seconds before seeing his chance and ran through, but only made another few feet before another series of tripwires shot in front of him--this series harder than the previous one. Two wires spanned horizontally in front of him, moving up and down while two vertical wires moved horizontally. As they moved, they formed an X as they passed each other while a third vertical wire moved quickly back and forth. Again, he was faced with another situation of simply waiting for the lasers to be in a position where they made an opening for him to creep through.

Leon scoffed as he went through the second series, then moved forward another ten or so feet when suddenly, about ten more feet away from him, another series of hot lasers turned on. This time, it was a series of five horizontal wires moving in all directions, and they were moving _at him_, coming quickly toward him.

_Oh, shit._

There was no turning back now. As they moved and twisted, he could see a large opening forming in the center of them, and without a moment to lose, Leon dove, arms held out--

--and he dove through the opening created by the beams, landing on the floor as the last of them passed without even grazing him. He barely got to his feet when he saw ten or twenty more of those small black devices appearing only a few feet in front of him, now the last series between him and the exit. As he began to pass them, they began to spark and power up. Suddenly, Leon had a second to act.

_Goddamn it!_

_---------------------- _

_It turns out that old man Saddler wasn't buying me from the start. Even though I succeeded in kidnapping Ashley, I sort of sensed this when Saddler didn't completely let me in the loop. Under the circumstances, I had no other alternative but to call for her assistance._

He was emerging from an underground tunnel below; making his way past a campground that had recently been vacated, which was most likely a camp for some of Saddler's men. If anything, they were probably getting ready for his comrade to come through the commando base, not far from where Krauser was going. Leon was proving more difficult than he anticipated, but it needn't matter. He had only been saved by dumb luck. Had it not been for that bitch, he'd long since been dead and been able to give a successful report to Wesker. Krauser had been skeptical about the mysterious Ada Wong from the start, despite Wesker's recommendation.

_Perhaps she knew this was the way it was going to turn out all along. My guess is that her ultimate goal might be different from Wesker's and mine. _

He came to a large, tall door that led to the abandoned ruins of the old fortress. Crouching, he jumped high into the air, higher than any normal human could ever possibly leap. He cleared the top of the door nearly twenty feet off the ground and landed squarely on his feet on the other side. He was heading to the ruined fortress for one reason and one reason alone--he knew that Leon had to come through here to proceed any further. While the old site itself was no longer active, the labyrinthine layout of the area provided Krauser with an excellent tactical advantage.

_This is just the perfect opportunity to find out. And after I get rid of Leon and retrieve the sample…_

With Leon having no choice but to venture through here, he was certain that he'd be able to accomplish his objective and get rid of Leon once and for all. Besides, Ashley was being kept under Saddler's control in an area not too far from where the ruined fortress was. Krauser was lusting for blood, and so was the parasite inside him. The former soldier could feel his left arm tingling, as if it was crying out for the dark crimson liquid. There would be no more games. He had been foolish to have a dialogue with Leon rather than just killing him right on the spot. Quick and easy. However, he wanted to enjoy it, prolong Leon's demise as long as he could. He wanted to see Leon's face twist and contort in utter pain as he felt the cold steel of death upon him. He wanted to hear Leon scream in total agony as the knife impaled him, cut through his flesh and muscle like a piece of paper. Now, though, he'd leave it to his strength and brute force, which easily could overpower Leon, especially when he saw what lay hidden beneath the skin and muscle of that arm.

It very nearly happened, Leon's bitter demise…until the bitch ruined it, ruined his glorious moment, the chance to see his old partner die such a sweet, exciting and slow death. She too would pay with her life. He had always seen her as untrustworthy, and coming to his defense proved it. Maybe they'd been lovers some time ago. Nevertheless, he wanted to enjoy killing her too…perhaps he'd fuck her first. He wanted to enjoy her sweet, sexy body; her delicious, delicate curves, her sweet inner juices, and the feeling of warm, tight muscle around his shaft as he pounded with reckless abandon into her small, lithe body. Just the thought was sending a bolt of desire to his genitals.

_And when I'm done with her, I'll put her in a body bag along with Leon and send them both to Wesker. However, first things first…_

_--------------- _

**END OF CHAPTER. **Keep reading and reviewing!


	22. Chapter Twenty One: Strength and Order

**Chapter Twenty-One: Strength and Order**

She woke up in a daze. Her vision was blurry, but she knew she was in a dimly lit room. She felt disoriented, a bit groggy, as if she'd just woken from a prolonged slumber. She let out a groan and stretched herself out on what appeared to be a hard cot. Rubbing her eyes, she slowly sat up and felt fatigued, totally devoid of any energy.

_Ohh…where am I?_

As her vision returned, she was coming to the realization that she was in yet another small, confined room of sorts, this time much smaller than the storage area back some time ago. And once more, she was without the safety of Leon. Quickly, she was alert, sitting straight up, her body rigid as her mind tried to remember the events leading up to her current predicament.

_What happened…I was with Leon, we were escaping on a bulldozer…we crashed, I remember that. We wound up in some break room, and then we saw Saddler and…he did something strange with his hand and Leon fell to the ground in pain, my poor Leon…and then…he turned his hand towards me…oh…_

She gasped.

_I don't remember…I felt some pain at first, and then the rest is a blank! That means…oh, god! Oh, god! It's happened! He--those parasites--_

Tears began to well up in the scared girl as her mind raced to play back what lay inside.

_I could hear him…I could hear him like a phantom inside my mind…he was speaking to me, calmly, trancelike. My senses began to slip away, deep into the recesses of my body as he took control of my body. I remember myself trying to fight it, but it was too powerful. He controlled my mind, my body…and I was powerless to do anything! Oh, god, what if he--_

She slipped a hand beneath her skirt and beneath the cotton layer of her panties to see if she could confirm the worst. There was no evidence of slick fluid or blood; just warm skin, hair, and sweat between her legs. Although if the sick fuck did anything, she probably would've felt some pain. The teenager took the hand out from between her legs, her suspicion gladly just a suspicion. Still, whatever feelings of grogginess and fatigue she felt a few moments ago quickly dissipated into fear and paranoia. The fact that the scary religious freak took control of her like that was hair-raising, to say the least. And the fact that she had no memory of what happened beyond those first minute or so was very uncomforting.

_What if he does it again? What if Leon finds me and then Saddler comes back into my head--will Leon have to--_

She shut her eyes tightly, and forced herself not to finish that thought. She didn't even want to think about that horrible scenario which was now very real and very possible.

_I want this parasite out of my body now!_

"Help!" she screamed; a loud, piercing, high-pitched shriek that encompassed her current state of mind--fear, rage, anger, paranoia, frustration. She knew that Leon wasn't nearby, but she had to let it out. Now she was completely lost. Whatever happened during her trance, she didn't know, and now had no idea how she got where she was--what doors, rooms, and passageways she and Saddler went through to get here.

_It's coming close to the end…will I be lucky again? Will I fucking get out of here alive and back home to my family?_

She got off the cot and looked around for anything that could help her. All that greeted her was a locked metal door. This time, she wasn't even given so much as a barred window for her to see out of. All she had to look at were the walls of industrial gray stone, monotonous and boring as all hell. Still filled with fear, she ran to the door and pulled the knob, only to find it locked. No way in hell was she breaking out--Saddler had her in tight.

_Why did he leave me here?! Is he planning something else for me? Is he going to invade my mind again?!_

Her heart was pounding wildly now as claustrophobia began to settle in. The terrified teenager kept trying the door a few more times, but still no luck.

"Goddamn it!" she screamed, tears beginning to stream down her face. "Why won't you let me out! WHY?!" Losing all sense of control, she began slamming her fists against the door, pounding hard as she released her built-up rage, creating a terrific noise that filled the tiny room. She didn't care if anyone heard her.

"LET ME OUT!" she screamed, sobbing hysterically now, throwing her tantrum for several seconds more.

_FUCKING SADDLER! LET ME--what's happening?!_

Suddenly, a violent pain shot through her abdomen, and she gasped as the air left her. She fell to the ground, clutching herself as the sharp, stabbing pain shot through her entire body, and screams of rage gave way to screams of pain as she continued holding her stomach. Her muscles began to tighten up, and the pain felt like nothing she'd ever felt before.

_Something is taking hold!_

Her body began to writhe on the ground of its own volition, and she could feel something moving around inside her body, creeping up and down her torso like a hand dancing across her ribs and organs.

_The pain!! My body!!_

She gasped for precious breath, struggling to resist the immense agony like her body was being ripped apart, or sliced by a million tiny blades all digging into her skin.

_This--will--kill ME!_

Ashley could feel herself wanting to succumb, wanting to just give in and let death claim her--how long she could stand up to this horrible torture was uncertain. There was no one to help her now--Leon was somewhere far from where she was, looking for her. She knew she could only hold out for a few more seconds. Sweat was pouring from her head, and her eyes filled with water, forcing her vision to go blurry and dark.

_Ashley…_

The young woman could feel her rational mind slipping away from her, and as her mind was succumbing to the soothing voice calling her name, she was coming to the final conclusion that resisting was of no use.

_Ashley…try to relax, my child…_

The pain was beginning to fade, the terrible agony finally starting to subside.

_No--Saddler! Don't…not again…please…_

_Relax and the pain will go away…_

_Get out of my head!_

_Ease your scared mind, my child…please don't fight it._

The body was willing, but the mind was weak. She could feel herself slipping into darkness, slipping into a dazed, engineered euphoria. The girl could feel her sense of time and space fading away until she seemed like gravity was no longer binding her to this earth. After several seconds, the pain finally went away, and she was lying on her side, totally motionless. However, she was no longer in the tiny cell. Her mind seemed to leave her body, and her rational consciousness had disappeared like a stain of breath upon a mirror.

_I'm here, my Lord. Your child has returned to you…_

_------------------- _

He was taking an inventory of what ammunition he had left while he had a moment, alone in a deserted campground, or at least, recently deserted. A roaring fire contained in an open metal barrel seemed to suggest that there was some life here fairly recently--was it Krauser? A group of Saddler's armed guards? Regardless, the agent still had quite a few shotgun shells remaining and still plenty of handgun ammunition. He wasted a few Magnum bullets on Saddler's friend, and once again was thankful for the explosive power of grenades. Still, Saddler's "friend" had quite a way of introducing himself. It had turned out to be another one of Saddler's inhuman monsters; a vile, disgusting creature that was part human, part insect, and part reptile--yet another byproduct of the horrible experimentation done by Saddler. Just like Umbrella, it seemed that he had no regard for human life. Just how many did he kill or experiment on in his campaign for control?

He'd seen a wide hole in the ground inside the tent, almost like it was a manhole of some kind, but before he ventured beneath, he had stopped to take a check of his inventory. If anything was lying in wait down there, he wanted to be ready. He was taking no more chances--it seemed that Saddler now was trying to throw everything he had up his sleeve at him. Perhaps desperation was finally coming at last, and soon he'd have no choice but to confront the agent. Even then, Leon sensed that Saddler was going to be a tough one to break--he had seen first hand what he was hiding beneath his lavish purple robes--a monstrous tentacle that killed his ally Luis. Saddler might be alone, but he was certainly a dangerous adversary.

Good for now, he went inside the lone tent and went down the manhole, finding himself in what looked to be a short underground mine, or transport passage, evidenced by a mine cart sitting beside some rusty metal rails. Following the rails, he didn't have to search long before the rails came to an abrupt end at the other end of this short underground chute. On the earthen and stone wall beside some abandoned crates was a ladder that led upwards. Going up, he emerged back outside and realized that he'd simply passed underneath the metal fencing that separated the campground from this little plot of island, which led to a massive set of double doors about fifty feet away from the agent. Two large torches flanked the sides of the door. Jogging, he made it to the doors and gave one a hard push, causing it to give.

_At least it's not blocked…_

Crossing the threshold, he found himself on another stretch of dirt path, and as he turned the corner, he was faced with the sight of ruin. Stretching out before him was the ruins of what looked like a type of battlement or fortress. Somewhat intact stone walls formed a complex, multi-level labyrinth that one could get lost in, but for the most part, the place was in shambles. In several places, small square sheltered areas looked like they offered some sort of temporary shelter, a place to regroup--or perhaps a place to shove in prisoners. Chunks of roof and wall were missing in spots, and the gaps in walkways and structures which led to exposed path and passageway allowed a stealth advantage to anyone wishing to ambush. At the top of this impressive sight were two towers, connected by a stone bridge. Metal supports stuck out from the tops of each, curving upwards, looking like they held up a roof once upon a time. A wooden walkway went around the two towers. Regardless, many lit torches, a couple of small bonfires and some flames contained in empty metal barrels suggested that the place was indeed active.

_Ruined…I wonder what caused it, perhaps a battle or something. Maybe it simply fell to ruin. I bet when this was one hell of a fortress when it was fully intact; maybe it was a piece of history. History or not, looks like someone was here or is here…best be on my guard._

For the moment, it had appeared that his only point of entry was down a long and narrow stretch of path, flanked on both sides by tall stone pillars, some of which had since crumbled and lay on the ground in chunks. Grabbing his handgun, he jumped down off the path and onto the first level of the fortress below. Determined to find an exit or some way out, he jogged quickly past the first pillars, seeing a small sheltered section straight ahead.

"So, you two are all hooked up now, is that it?" came a deep, scratchy voice coming from a path running parallel to where Leon was. He stopped in his tracks and quickly turned his head in the direction of the voice, which was located behind a section of wall.

_Krauser…_

He stepped out into view, his arms folded across his chest. The soldier was walking slowly on a walkway that was on a slightly higher elevation than Leon. His physical appearance had changed from when he last saw. He was no longer wearing a shirt, leaving himself topless except for shoulder straps that looked like they carried ammunition. He didn't look like he needed a flak jacket--the man was very strong, with well defined chest and torso muscles. His bulky, muscular arms looked like the type that could kill a person easily. Simply put, his body was well conditioned from years of training. While he maintained the red beret, his face was smeared with dark red face paint. The man was ready for a showdown.

Leon had no time for triviality. "Where's Ashley?" he demanded.

Krauser scoffed, then turned his head toward the agent below him. "Do you really want to know? She's beyond that gate." He motioned with his head off to his right. "However, the gate's locked, and requires three insignias to open it."

_Figured as much._

"What are you gonna do, Krauser?" Leon asked.

"Two of them I've hid in these ruins--there's one in the north, and one in the east."

"And let me guess. You've got the last one," Leon replied.

"It pretty much means you're on a tight leash," Krauser replied. He reached behind and pulled out a large gun, known to Leon as a TMP, a type of machine gun.

_Abandoning the knife tactic, I see…_

"Sounds like you thought this out pretty well," Leon said.

_But so have I._

Quickly, Leon reached to his belt and pulled off the metal grappling hook, and in an instant, he flung it directly at Krauser. Leon tore off down the path and toward the shelter just as Krauser knocked the hook away with the gun and opened fire.

"Run, Leon, run!" Krauser yelled as a torrent of machine gun fire sounded into the night, each rapid-fire bullet slamming into the stone wall just behind the sprinting Leon. He could hear the bullets ricocheting just inches behind him, and as he reached a section of intact wall, he did a full body dive and hit the brown earth, then quickly scrambled and pinned his back on the stone until Krauser's clip emptied.

_Guy's a maniac…_

_------------------ _

_Ashley…I am near. Soon, the metamorphosis will be complete. Soon, you will become one of us--purified, cleansed, and free from the trappings of real life. Do not be afraid. I am coming for you. _

_Lord Saddler…I do as you wish. I gladly permit you the use of my body to carry out your will. If it is necessary for the good of all of us, please let me be of any service._

_Precious child, your invaluable contribution to our mutual cause is of the highest degree. Our time is at hand…so close, so near. The world will see our gift, and you will be the one thanked by the masses._

_I live only to serve the Los Illuminados, my Lord._

_Your services will be rewarded very soon, my precious Ashley. I am entering the room now…do not be frightened._

_I have no reason to be, my Lord._

The leader of the Los Illuminados opened the door and stepped into her cell, smiling as he looked at the transfixed girl standing completely still, her eyes red and glazed over, looking dazed.

"Come here, Ashley," he said aloud, his voice soothing and relaxing. Slowly, she walked toward the robed figure, looking up at the smiling, kind man. She held out her hand and the man took it, ever so gently. "We are going to complete your conversion very soon."

"Thank you, my Lord," she said, sounding like she was tired. They had walked down a corridor, and after a brief walk through it, the two of them came upon a huge room, something that looked like a laboratory. Control panels and computers were abundant here, but in the center was a tall, cylindrical capsule. Many wires branched out from the bottom of the container, spreading and entwining itself all over the floor like a tangled web. The container itself was wide enough and tall enough to fit a person inside with relative ease.

"Your gift will help billions find peace," he coaxed.

A slight smile formed on Ashley's face.

------------------

"Now we're talking," Krauser said after Leon placed a well-timed kick right into the attacker's stomach. He went to his belt and grabbed another flashbang grenade, then dropped it. The tiny canister exploded, and intense white light forced Leon to shield his eyes once more. Krauser laughed as he escaped once again to another part of the labyrinthine fortress.

_Damn it! This is all one big game to him!_

For several minutes now, this was a deadly game of cat and mouse, hunter versus hunted, a twisted game of endurance and stamina. Several blows had been traded in the interim, but each time it seemed that Leon grabbed the upper hand, Krauser managed to escape with a quick release of a flashbang, forcing Leon's advance to come to a halt while he escaped and remained in wait. For the moment, he had been standing at an entryway to a stairwell before Krauser caught up to him once again, which led to another exchange of parrying and attacking. Clearly, Krauser was enjoying every second of this--to him, it was a war game. Leon knew he had to end this game now. Krauser was serving as a distraction to the rescuing of Ashley, and doing a damn good job of it.

As the brief blinding flash began to fade, Leon turned around and ran up the curving stairwell. At the top, he found himself in an open area that looked like some sort of storage area. Several piles of sandbags were lying in a sheltered corner of the area, and a couple sections of intact wall stood out of the worn stone floor. Several support pillars held up an intact roof. However, in the middle of the floor, Leon saw a small stone object. Kneeling down, he picked up the light brown object and saw that the tiny stone insignia was in the shape of a panther, or so it looked like, anyway.

He didn't have time to study it long--out of the shadows from the corner of the room, Krauser appeared, drawing a knife similar to the one he left behind back in the warehouse. He twirled the blade around for a second before grabbing the handle horizontally and continued walking toward the agent.

Leon got to his feet. "What do you intend to do by restoring Umbrella?"

The two of them began to circle the area once again, each of them keeping several feet apart from the other.

"Bring order and balance to this insane world of ours," replied Krauser confidently.

Leon tossed the insignia in the air and caught it. "A psycho like you can't bring order _or_ balance," he scoffed.

Krauser stopped, and Leon did the same. "You don't seriously think a conservative mind can chart a new course for the world, do you?"

"Better a conservative mind than a psychotic one like yourself and all the other Umbrella sadists," Leon shot back.

Krauser chuckled. "What do you fight for, comrade?"

"My past, I suppose."

Krauser grunted. "Umbrella."

Without waiting for Leon to reply, Krauser crouched down and leaped high and backwards into the air, landing up on the intact section of roof just above Leon. Quickly, Krauser grabbed the TMP and opened fire as soon as Leon took off for the sheltered section, spraying a hail of machine gun fire everywhere.

"Come on out and fight like a man!" Krauser yelled from above.

Leon grabbed his handgun. "Not gonna fall for that one!"

"Aww," Krauser replied in mock disappointment. "Just trying to have some fun!"

----------------

Emerging from the underground passage, Ada could hear the sound of gunfire, rapid machine gun fire coming from somewhere in the distance, but relatively close.

_God, I hope it's not Krauser playing his psychotic games…_

She got to the massive stone doors and went through the opening left by the one who last went through it, and the sound of intermittent gunfire was closer with each step. She kept herself very close to the stone on her left, moving very slowly until the abandoned fortress came into view. Whatever the case, she did not want to get up in a crossfire, regardless of whoever it was. Seeing that the path came to an end, she grabbed her binoculars from her thigh belt and began to search the area for the source of the gunfire.

Zooming in, she could clearly make out the topless and beret-less figure of Krauser, leaping from platform to platform with the semi-automatic machine gun, clearly pursuing someone. For the moment, who it was remained hidden from view. She suspected it was Leon, but she wasn't sure just yet. And if it was, she was powerless to do anything. Her coming in at the last second and saving Leon was pure luck. If she'd gotten to the warehouse a few seconds later, Leon would've most certainly been dead, and with it, her best chance of getting out of this mission unscathed.

Intermittent bursts of gunfire shot through the air, and on a few occasions, she thought she could hear Krauser talking, but couldn't make out the words over the wind. Fixing her sight on one of the two towers, she could see Krauser emerging from the level beneath, and then quickly, he ran out to a wooden walkway that went around the perimeter and crouched behind a small section of the circular wall that remained intact. And there, he simply waited, searching on the horizon for any suspicious activity--like her. When he turned toward her, she quickly crouched down behind a section of the stone wall and was out of sight to him. A few seconds later, he turned away and back toward the likely stairwell or path that led up to the tower, expecting his pursuer to come through. Ada raised her binoculars again and looked, and saw the muscular figure of Leon emerging.

_Oh, no, not again…boys and their toys…_

Watching the soldier, she saw him fish something out of his pocket--a small black and rectangular device with a button and a small antenna on it.

_A detonator?_

She zoomed out, and realized a small detail that she missed. Below him, and below the walkway of the other tower, several explosives were rigged to the outside wall. Realizing his intention, she quickly grabbed her gun to try to shoot it out of his hand, but he pressed the button before she could even aim. A second later, several lights began to flash on the explosives. They had been activated, and now it was probably set to blow in a matter of minutes. Krauser wanted to enjoy this. If Krauser couldn't get rid of Leon, then they both would go up along with the fortress.

_Son of a bitch!_

_------------- _

There on the rickety wooden walkway was the second of the three insignias, this one with a design of an eagle on it.

_All right, Krauser. Show yourself. I know you're here._

As expected, no sooner did he pocked the second chunk of stone, Krauser leapt from a spot behind an intact piece of wall and stood on top of the ten foot tall chunk, aiming the TMP directly at Leon's face.

"Two down, one to go, Krauser," Leon said.

"We'll see about that," the soldier replied, then tossed his gun to the side like trash.

Suddenly, Krauser's left arm began to shake and spasm, and as he began to flex the arm, he began grunting. Leon could only watch intently as Krauser began to grunt louder, almost as if he was visibly trying to resist tremendous pain. Before his eyes, the arm began to rapidly transform, elongating and changing. The hand expanded and was becoming a giant claw. His skin began to visibly change as the bones, skin and muscle created a sick ripping noise as the limb became a massive chunk of pure power. Several extensions began to sprout off the deformed limb, bloody tentacles that quickly formed into sharp blades.

_So you too are infected…just like all the others._

The entire transformation took no more than twenty seconds--all it took for Krauser's left arm to become a dangerous and powerful monstrosity, with several long razor-sharp blades capable of instant death. When it was all complete, he held up his inhuman arm, the product of Las Plagas, and held it high to the sky. The arm throbbed and pulsed like it had a heart of its own, separate from the host body to which it was attached.

"Witness the _power_!" Krauser yelled triumphantly.

"You've lost it completely, Krauser," Leon replied, almost deadpan.

"_Die, Leon!_" Almost instantly, he raised up his deadly limb and jumped off the stone right at Leon in an attempt to slice him open right there. Leon quickly dove out of the way just in time as the arm and Krauser hit the ground with a loud crash. An instant later, Leon was opening fire on Krauser, shooting handgun bullets at point-blank range directly into his back. He only had time to fire four or five before Krauser immediately got to his feet and slowly advanced toward Leon. He took his arm and used the blades on it as a metal shield that protected most of his body

_Did he even feel that?_

Not wanting to stick around, he immediately put the handgun aside and began running, sprinting across the bridge to the other tower. He could hear Krauser laughing behind him, gloating as if he had won. When he made it to the other tower, he grabbed the rifle from his shoulder and aimed just as the crazed soldier began to sprint across the connecting bridge, still using his arm as the shield. Leon fired one powerful round which sliced through the air and hit the shield--

--but it did nothing, bouncing clean off the shield, not even forcing him to stop and stumble backwards.

_What?_

Before Leon could react, Krauser jumped, lunging, and then kicked Leon square in the torso, causing his body to go temporarily airborne, and the rifle with it. The powerful weapon sailed over the edge of the tower and fell to the ground many feet below. Leon hit the ground hard, but had no time to recover as Krauser leaped into the air again, raising the destructive arm high and coming down with the finishing blow--and Leon, relying on solely adrenaline and reflex, rolled out of the way as the largest blade hit the stone floor with a loud metallic clang. Leon pulled out his Magnum and opened fire on Krauser's exposed chest, draining the entire chamber, six rounds in quick succession directly into it. Chunks of flesh and deformed skin ripped away from the massive arm, including a chunk from his chest, spraying dark blood on the ground. This time, Krauser let out a cry of pain and was clearly pissed off. What was fun now was no more. Leon got up and immediately bolted back to the first tower, and as he crossed the connecting bridge, he could see the flashing explosive devices rigged alongside the tower beneath the surrounding wooden path.

_SHIT! How long have those been active for?! Looks like if he's going down, he's taking me with it…_

Back on the other side, Krauser was slowly getting to his feet. Four direct shots like that left a mark, but the pain was tolerable. No longer was he sporting the gloating expression of a hunter who had cornered his prey--now his face was speckled with blood and sweat, the face paint running, with a look of total anger on his face. Consumed with rage, he began to charge at Leon, sprinting back across the bridge. He was going to end this once and for all. Umbrella and Wesker were going to be very pleased at his accomplishment. He let out a yell, a war cry that embodied the anger and rage coursing inside him, feeding him, making him a true warrior. Leon knew he was out of Magnum bullets, and as Krauser charged at him, he pulled back his arm, getting ready to clothesline the agent and lob off his head once and for all, finally putting an end to this charade--when suddenly, Leon quickly grabbed his knife and flung it at Krauser. The sleek, sharp blade sliced through the air, until finally it found its mark:

In the middle of Krauser's forehead.

The soldier stopped dead in his tracks and his face became a silent, shocked expression, the mouth opened in a silent O of surprise. There was no noise, no sudden cry of pain as the crazed man stood motionless for an awkward second or two, the knife handle sticking out of his head. Suddenly, something exploded in the middle of Krauser's chest, creating a large round hole where his heart was, and the chunk of skin hit the floor with a wet slap. Something else came out of the new opening as well. Krauser's eyes rolled into his head, and a second later, he fell to his knees, then to the floor, facedown.

Jack Krauser was finally dead, beaten at his own game.

Leon stood there for a second, waiting for it to sink in. He had his shotgun ready, not expecting Krauser to really be dead. However, several seconds passed, and the beeping from the explosive charges below him brought him back to the moment. The object that Krauser's body ejected was lying near his body, now pooling blood on the ground. He kneeled down, withdrew the knife from Krauser's head, and picked up the bloodied object. Looking at it closely, he found that it was the third and final insignia, this one in the design of a serpent.

_You won't be needing this anymore, comrade. Now I've gotta get the hell out of here before I go with him._

Quickly, he put the shotgun back behind him and he tore off for the exit. He made it back down the ladder and down toward the gate where the insignia slots were located. He took the bloodied serpent object and placed it in the corresponding recess, and then took the other two out and locked those into place as well. Immediately, he could hear the sounds of gears turning, and the stone slab slid away to reveal a set of double doors. Without a second to waste, he pushed open the door and went through it just as the time on the explosives made it to zero.

------------

**END OF CHAPTER. **Oh, we're getting closer and closer to the end here…keep on reviewing!


	23. Chapter Twenty Two: Going Plaga

**Note: **It's been a year since I last touched this story, and to all of you who have commented on it, added this to your favorites, and everything else in the past year, I thank you very much. Many of you have waited patiently for this to continue, and your patience has paid off. This is the 3rd straight November that I've been working on this story, and I can say with near certainty that this story will finally see a "the end" attached to it before month's end. Once again, thanks for your patience, and without any further ado, here is Chapter 22.

**Chapter Twenty-Two: Going Plaga**

The booming explosion that Leon barely escaped was seconds behind him, and as he could hear the last of the towers crumbling into nothingness, he was certain that Krauser was finally dead. There was no way that anyone could live with that amount of violent damage not only to their body, but to then survive a blast like that was near impossible. However, he'd only managed to run up a few hundred feet away from the door when he heard his communications device beep. A half-smiling Saddler waited for him on the other end.

"So it seems you killed Krasuer too," he began, sounding as if he was slightly disappointed in the loss of his henchman. "How should I return my appreciation?"

Leon shot him a slightly quizzical look, then scoffed. "What are you talking about? I thought he was with you."

Saddler smiled, a half-smile that looked cocky. "What are _you _talking about? Did you really think I'd trust an _American? _To tell you the truth, I was contemplating how to get rid of him. Thanks to you, that's no longer necessary."

Anger began to course through Leon's blood, and as the realization began to sink into his head, he could feel his hands balling into fists.

"You manipulating son of a bitch! You were using him right from the start!" Leon yelled angrily.

Saddler smiled wider and laughed, obviously pleased by Leon's reaction. "Oh, I must hand it to you--you've demonstrated a lot of promise by killing Krauser. When your assimilation with Las Plagas is complete, I'll have you serve as my guard."

"Unfortunately, I'm going to have to decline your generous offer," Leon shot back. "I have prior engagements."

The hoodless man chuckled. "Enjoy your smart mouthing while you can." With that, the call ended, and Leon was left once again alone with his thoughts and emotions, right now a mix of anger, rage, and slight remorse.

_Looks like your insane goals were all for nothing, Krauser. You were used, just like the people living here. Saddler caught on to your game, and now you're nothing but pieces. Some reward._

Putting the device back onto his belt, he grabbed his handgun and ejected the clip, replacing it with a new one. Up ahead in the distance, he could make out what looked like some sort of communications tower. Perhaps he'd be able to find something there that would enable him request backup. With nowhere else to go, he made his way up the path, hoping that soon, he'd find Ashley and end this charade.

However, something up ahead forced Leon to stop in his tracks--male voices, speaking in gruff, ragged Spanish. A group of Saddler's armed soldiers were waiting at the top of the hill, and as Leon pulled out his handgun, he saw more and more of them as he went up the incline. Above the ground and along the rock face, several battlements had been erected, and as the agent quickly began to assess the situation, he could see several more of the infected mercenaries in strategic positions above. One was even sitting behind a gun turret, ready to obliterate anything that so much as moved. Realizing that he was exposed and vulnerable, he quickly ran behind a section of wall and crouched down, barely escaping detection.

"Damn!" Leon said under his breath, annoyed.

_Goddamn it…this must be some sort of military base for Saddler's men. Every one of them is armed, and I'm clearly outnumbered. Going through this would be suicide!_

Several seconds passed, and while Leon was contemplating his next move, he could hear the sounds of a helicopter approaching from somewhere over the open ocean.

_A chopper? Oh, I hope that's what I think it is…_

Coming into view was indeed a military helicopter of sorts. It was equipped on both sides with chain guns, capable of producing rapid automatic machine gun fire. Several explosive rockets also flanked the sides of the craft. As he was looking up at the approaching craft, a sudden beam of bright white light shot out from the front, bathing Leon in the glow of the searchlight. Leon began to feel an immense wave of relief, knowing that it was all going to end soon. Help had finally arrived, and with it, a renewed sense of confidence and energy surged through the agent.

_So Hunnigan did send the second chopper after all…I was waiting for that._

Leon's communications device began to beep, and he reached behind him and accepted the incoming transmission.

"Hey there. It's about time," Leon said to the pilot.

"Sorry," came the male voice on the other end, sounding unapologetic. He had a noticeable accent, like he was a man who came from New York, or thereabouts. "Bad traffic. I'll cover you." A second later, the chopper turned to its right and began heading toward some of the towers. Leon followed, careful to avoid detection.

Meanwhile, some of the soldiers began to notice the chopper's presence in the airspace above and began to show a bit of unease. Several men were moving quickly to locations where Gatling gun turrets were located in the surrounding towers. The chopper then became stationary, and began searching the area with its searchlight, checking the best place to clear a path for the agent. The pilot saw a gas tower, noticing the thick pipeline leading up from the ground to the top where the combustible was stored. Slowly, he positioned the nose of the chopper against the metal and began to push it forward.

The sound of bending and scraping metal from above instantly captured the soldiers' attention, and when one mercenary yelled out in surprise, the men surrounding the immediate area quickly moved to action, scrambling about the base knowing full well what the chopper was trying to do. In their fear and confusion, all attention was diverted away from the approaching agent to the aircraft above, ready to make some hell. The chopper pulled back, and then it emitted a loud, whirring noise as the helicopter blades began to spin faster. A second later, the pilot rammed the aircraft forward and flew directly over the gas tower, dragging it beneath the underside. The extreme stress was too much for the tower, and the last of its rusty metal support beams bent and gave way. Suddenly the massive hunk of metal was falling, and a couple dozen soldiers began to run blindly out of the way, screaming as the tower came hurtling down.

One man stumbled, fell to the ground, and that was it. There was no time for him to move, for an instant later, the several ton container slammed into the ground with a loud metallic crash, crushing the soldier instantly beneath the weight of tons of liquid fuel and corroded metal. Leon was watching the entire scene from the safety and cover of an overhang, impressed and relieved all at the same time. Fear was among all the soldiers now, their resolve shaken, but the chopper wasn't done yet. As the men on the ground ran and tried to regroup, the chopper positioned itself almost back to where it was, and then quickly opened fire. The multitude was powerless as the chopper sent a maelstrom of chain gun fire on the base. Hot slugs ripped through their bodies like it was nothing, strafing the area relentlessly. As it did, one of the bullets slammed into the top of the fallen tower, puncturing the metal tank easily and igniting the gallons of fuel inside. A massive, colossal boom rocked the area as the tower exploded, filling the sky with a brilliant ball of bright yellow and orange. The force of the explosion caused a nearby fortification tower to explode a second later, sending a huge wave of metal and burning flesh in every direction, replaced quickly by a black plume of smoke. Leon could only watch in complete amazement. The agent grabbed his talk device as the explosions faded away, emerging from his cover by the overhang.

"Now that's what I call backup," Leon said to the pilot, smiling.

"The name's Mike," the pilot replied. "I was told you needed some firepower. You've come to the right place."

"Sure do, Mike." the agent said.

"I'll cover you. Keep moving."

All hell had officially broken loose.

----------------------------

As Leon's backup rained a hail of gunfire, another explosion ripped through the base, sending flaming bits of metal and stone flying in all directions. While the scrum above was in full swing, the sexy figure of Ada Wong came through the same doors that Leon came from, grappling her way through the fortress wreckage and continuing her pursuit of her former flame. She had witnessed the entire confrontation between Leon and Krauser, and even she had to admit that with Krauser now gone, the rest of her mission was going to pass with ease. She also knew that it had been some time since her last transmission to Wesker, and as that thought passed through her head; her video phone began to beep.

_Right on schedule._

The flat, emotionless face of Wesker appeared on the screen, his eyes hidden behind his standard black shades. There was no telling anything about Wesker--no matter the situation, he always wore his poker face, never letting anything on about his own mental state. Despite his current, safe location from his undisclosed location and his business-like appearance--black suit jacket, black shirt, black pants, everything black--it was always hard to read Wesker. He looked the same as ever.

"Report," the shady figure demanded. "Time is almost up."

"Krauser's dead," Ada began. _And good riddance._

"Really? Hmm…" Wesker replied, sounding a bit surprised by the news. He shuffled around in his chair, getting comfortable as he saw Ada through several large screens in front of him. "That's fine, we can use him to clean up Saddler for us. We'll let them fight it out--neither one of them will come out unharmed."

"Easier said than done," Ada said back, turning her face away from the phone.

"Either way, it's your job to clean up what's left of them once the fight is over," he ordered.

_Yeah, yeah, yeah…_

"Don't forget who is running the show," Wesker continued firmly. "Whatever happens, we can't let either of them live to see tomorrow."

Her eyes narrowed, and a slightly sly facial expression crept across her face.

"Our goal is to retrieve the sample," he continued. "Take out anything that might interfere with our plans." With that, he ended the transmission.

_Little obsessive, are we? You're not getting the sample, anyway, my dear Wesker. You think you're calling the shots? Guess again._

Placing the device back on her thigh, she shifted her focus to the matter at hand, thankful that Wesker's interruption was done and over with. Up ahead, the sounds of heavy gunfire continued, and with the soldiers focused on the helicopter currently ripping the base apart, she decided she'd use the distraction to her advantage and keep tailing Leon. It wasn't going to be long now before her mission was complete, she could feel it.

----------------------------

Leon dove behind a wall of sandbags as another explosion rocked the base, showering hot twisted metal beams and chunks of concrete in a wide perimeter. The agent covered his head as some debris began to crash near him, hitting the earth with metallic clangs and loud thuds. Several remnants of scorched bodies and parasites also hit the ground.

_That was a little close, Mike!_

For the moment, he couldn't complain. He'd been blessed that Hunnigan sent an armed chopper into the fray, despite the fact that he couldn't get through to her. They probably managed to get a location fix from Leon's communications device at some point, but for the moment, he was profoundly grateful. At this point, Leon only had to take on a few of the soldiers directly--most of the soldiers were being taken care of by the strafing chopper above.

Right now, though, Leon had to find the way out of this base and get Ashley so they could hop on the chopper and get out of here. He saw the door as he ran through a gate, but before he could get there, Mike launched another explosive rocket which led to the explosion moments ago.

Leon's ears were ringing as he got back up, but he had no time to worry about that now. Amidst the sound of chain gun fire and the loud whirring of the helicopter overhead, Leon bolted for the exit. Opening the metal door, he found himself at the base of a narrow dirt path, with stairs going up the hill. With the chopper now behind him and gun in hand, he tore up the steps. As the path curved up to the right, he could see a clearing up ahead. When he reached the top, he kept running for a few more seconds, out into a mess of crumbled structures, stone, and concrete--when he realized several dozen soldiers coming out of their hiding places behind the pieces of walls, pillars, and other structures, every single one of them armed.

Every single soldier glared at Leon angrily, looking at him with bright, glowing red eyes, the telltale signs of Plaga infection. They were forming a circle around him and were closing it quickly.

_Mike…I could use some help here!_

Obviously outnumbered, he began to look for some manner of escape when he could hear the sounds of the chopper getting closer.

_Good…_

Seconds later, the chopper rose up from the edge of the cliff they were on, blinding everyone with its powerful bright searchlight. Leon immediately bolted from the spot, frantically searching for some cover when Mike slammed the fire button from the cockpit, and once again, another torrent of automatic gunfire cut through the approaching dawn. Leon dove behind a section of the wall in order to get out of the melee, and from his position, he could see the powerful chain gun bullets ripping through the soldiers like ripping through a sheet of aluminum foil. The sheer firepower was staggering, and Saddler's forces were dropping like flies, their bodies dancing with the momentum of piercing gunfire before falling to the dirt. Several bullets found their way into a partially crumbled stone pillar, and as the bullets perforated the stone, gravity took hold, falling onto a screaming guard and crushing him. The chopper strafed for a few seconds more, until finally the last one had fallen.

For now, the chain guns had stopped firing, and all that was coming out was smoke. After a few seconds of non-fire, Leon stepped back out into the opening which was now covered in impaled, hole-ridden corpses and grabbed his talk device. The grateful agent looked up at the chopper, smiling in relief.

"Thanks, Mike! When we get out of here, drinks are on me," Leon said happily.

"Yeah!" Mike exclaimed, pleased at the thought of free beer. "I know a good bar in town, too."

"Great, and thanks again. I have to find Ashley, so lay low for a while. I'll contact you--"

Before Leon could finish the sentence, he heard the sound of a small explosion coming from above him, like the sound of a projectile behind launched. A spilt second later, a rocket-propelled grenade sliced through the air, directly at the chopper.

_No! NO!_

There was no time to react as the flying explosive slammed into the cockpit, and suddenly, a massive explosion ripped the chopper apart, accompanied by a huge ball of bright yellow and orange that lit up the sky. The shock wave and a hail of broken glass forced Leon to shield his face and move back a few steps. In an instant, happiness and relief changed to sudden shock as Leon saw the helicopter and the pilot, his backup, and his escape tore itself apart right before his eyes.

"_MIIIIIIKE!_" Leon screamed in horror, and then ran to the edge of the cliff as the burning ball of metal and shattered blades began falling, falling uncontrollably to the beach below. It crashed with a terrific sound of crunching metal and remaining glass on the rock face below, and then another explosion lit up the night as the fuel tank ruptured on impact. Thick black smoke immediately poured out of the wreckage and floated up into the sky.

_No…goddamn it! DAMN IT!_

Leon looked at the wreckage below him, and he felt numb, stunned and horrified at the awful calamity that just happened in the blink of an eye. For the second time, his best chance of escape was gone, just like that. Slowly, Leon turned around and looked up where the rocket came from, just in time to see the robed figure of Osmund Saddler and one of his men carrying a rocket launcher. They turned around and began walking away from him, disappearing into another part of the island, their objective complete. Shock instantly gave way to rage, rage that was building up inside the agent, rage he would release once he finally cornered the evil cult leader.

"I'll make sure you're the next to go, Saddler!" Leon yelled angrily as loud as he could so that Saddler could hear him. With communications device still in hand, he quickly began to get a hold of Hunnigan, hoping that the line would be jack-free so that he could have her send another chopper, the third of this mission. Still, he got nothing. Whatever the interference was, it was sure doing a damn good job of keeping him from contacting his main mission support.

_Work, you piece of shit!_

He tried again, but instead of Hunnigan's beautiful face appearing to him on the receiving screen, a very pleased Saddler appeared on it.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Leon," he gloated, his voice teasing.

"Saddler, you bastard!" Leon spat back, not wanting to hear it.

"It's nothing to get all upset about," Saddler continued smoothly, totally relaxed. "Don't tell me you've never swatted a bothersome fly. In essence, it's the same thing."

Leon became infuriated. "_What did you say?! _The lives of insects don't compare with human lives!"

"When you've acquired this power, you too will understand," said Saddler.

"Guess it's another good reason to get this parasite out of my body!" the agent shot back.

Saddler let out a brief chuckle. "I wish you luck." The screen went black, and Leon was left alone to his anger once again.

_How long is this cat and mouse game going to continue? How much more do you have up your sleeve?_

He had no time to lose. Saddler was close, which probably meant Ashley was as well. Looking once more down at the wreckage that was still engulfed in flames, he fought back another wave of anger and began to focus on the matter at hand.

_He will pay, Mike. Mark my words._

With nothing more to do here, he ran toward the large door that went down to the right of the ruins and along the cliff, venturing into more unexplored territory.

A few minutes later, he found himself underground, taking a ladder down to this small, dark area. Too dark, in fact--he turned on his belt light and checked his surroundings. It was a small enclosed room of stone, with nothing but sand and some rocks, save for the large stone slab sitting behind the ladder. The old, timeworn stone was rectangular in shape, and from what it looked like, this stone looked like a coffin of some kind, giving Leon the idea that he was in some sort of primitive temple or tomb. He dare not push the ancient stone lid aside--the last thing he wanted was to be attacked by something that had been lying in wait.

This small tomb gave way to a narrow passageway that led into another section of this forgotten temple. The room was empty--all that was here was a single hanging light, with the light bulb on, to Leon's surprise. He took several steps into this empty section, when suddenly, a searing, sharp pain shot through his entire body, the same excruciating pain he experienced when he saw Saddler last, when Saddler took Ashley away.

_Saddler! No--not now! The--pain--!_

Leon dropped his handgun and doubled over, clutching his abdomen and groaning in pain. He attempted to reach into his pocket and grab some more of the suppressing pills that Leon gave him, but the tearing agony prevented him from so much as moving. He could hear footsteps coming from the room he just left, but he was in no condition to look.

"Leon!" came the voice of Ada as she stepped into the empty area. "Are you okay?" She sounded genuinely concerned.

_Ada--_

The pain slightly subsided, enough to allow Leon to stand upright.

"Yeah," he choked out, then another wave of intense pain crippled him again, causing him to cry out.

_Leon…don't resist the power…_

_Saddler! GET OUT OF MY MIND!_

_Leon…give up. You can't win. I'm in control now…_

_No! Saddler--_

He could feel his consciousness slipping away from him, his grip on reality loosening as Saddler began to take possession of his mind through the Plaga.

The pain, at last, began to subside, and Leon slowly stood upright. He was breathing heavily, and he stood there for a few seconds, motionless.

_Kill the spy, Leon…kill her._

_Yes…my Lord._

The agent, without control of his body, turned around and faced Ada. He took one step toward her, and Ada knew immediately that something was wrong. He looked disoriented, and a small smile spread across his face. Suddenly, he grabbed his hands and wrapped them around her throat, beginning to choke her.

Thrown completely off guard, Ada grabbed Leon's wrists and began to pull in an attempt to pry them apart. She grunted and began to gasp as Leon squeezed tighter around her neck.

_Yes, Leon! KILL! KILL!_

Shaking her body by her neck, Leon's eyes quickly changed into the bloodshot red, the sign of infection and subservience to Lord Saddler. An eerie grin spread across his face as he continued to squeeze tighter around her neck, and she began to gag. Her heart began to race as she knew that if she didn't do something, she was done for. Her lungs began to hurt as she tried to breathe. The feeble attempt by the sly assassin to free herself was going nowhere, and quickly, she managed to grab a small switchblade from her right thigh belt. She released the blade, and then plunged it into Leon's leg. He cried out in pain and immediately released his grip on her, and then, seeing her opportunity, Ada raised her knee and slammed it directly into Leon's abdomen, immediately causing him to stumble and fall, and in doing so, breaking the control Saddler had over Leon.

He opened his eyes and breathed heavily, and he realized he was back in control of his body. There was a slight sore feeling in his groin from where Ada kneed him. Luckily, she rammed the knee above his crotch; otherwise he'd be in a lot more pain than he was in now. The knife wound would become an itch compared to the pain of crushed testicles. Ada took a few steps back and raised a hand to her neck, gasping for breath. Leon, realizing what he'd just done, quickly got to his feet and stumbled back against the wall, still not fully in control of his limbs, his mind and vision a bit blurry.

"Sorry, Ada," he quickly said, breathing heavily. He reached into his pocket and grabbed the bottle of parasite suppressants. He took a few in his hand and popped them into his mouth like M&M's.

Still breathing heavily from that close encounter, her heart starting to return to some semblance of a normal beat, her thoughts began to become more coherent. A bit unnerved, her facial expression was a mix of surprise and relief. "We _have _to get that parasite out of your body," she said after a few seconds of tense silence.

"Yeah," Leon replied, sounding more like an agreeing grunt than an actual word. "But before that, I still have to get Ashley."

_And I'm running out of time…_

"Fine," Ada began. "Let's split up."

Leon's head turned in her direction as she began to head toward the exit. She walked slowly away, still trying to collect herself after that close call, not seeing the slightest look of disappointment from Leon as she made her exit.

_Thanks, Ada._

---------------------------------

The whole penitentiary smelled absolutely rank. If anything, it was more incentive for Ada to move on quickly, although she had to stay a few seconds to check out a new acquisition. Sitting on what was probably a warden's desk was an automatic pistol, more commonly known as a TMP. She recognized it easily as one of the toys Krauser had carried. A potent weapon, capable of expending a lot of bullets in a hurry, the assassin decided it would be a good compliment to her only other firearm, her handgun. She had to be getting close to Saddler now, she thought, and she would need something other than a handgun to get rid of him, if it came down to that. To her surprise, the gun was loaded with a full magazine, each magazine holding thirty bullets. She also noticed that the gun and magazine were modified, the modification coming in the weapon's ammo capacity. She suspected, by looking at the larger-than-normal size magazine, that the gun could hold about fifty bullets in one modified magazine. She had seen a similar modification on Krauser's own weapon, and wondered if the gun itself was his. Ada also knew that normally, the gun can only fire thirty-bullet magazines. This modification was quite handy, regardless. Quickly checking the desk, she found a few more modified magazines and put what she could carry on the utility belts on her legs, cleverly hidden beneath her dress.

Knowing that Leon was still very close behind, she quickly ran down the hall and past several jail cells on both sides, not even wanting to know, if anything, was inside. She saw that the exit ahead was on top of a landing of a short stairwell, but the five or so steps were mangled and destroyed--she'd have to jump onto the landing. Breaking into a full run, she leaped into the air, clearing the stairwell entirely and landing gracefully on the cold concrete landing. Nothing to it. She opened the door as Leon was entering the jailhouse from the other end, fifty yards or so away.

The agent found herself outside on another landing, with a short staircase down to the ground on her left. The cool night air hit her face, and was a welcome feeling after her close encounter just a few minutes ago. The sky was starting to lighten a bit as the dawn was approaching--it had been a long, long night indeed.

_When this is all over, I'm going to have a long, long bath._

Two tall structures were in front of her, one straight ahead and one off a bit to its right. The walkway went around to the first structure's left and took a right some ways away. From where she was, it looked to be her only way, or at least, the path of least resistance, so she decided to head down the path. If worse came to worse, she could grapple to the top of one of the structures and take a look around.

As soon as she got to the bottom of the stairs, her thoughts were suddenly interrupted when she heard the loud screeching, whining sounds of metal coming from above her. She looked up just in time to see a long, rusty pillar of sharp, jagged metal flying toward her with amazing speed.

_GOGOGOGO--_

Instantly, she bolted down the path and dove to the ground tumbling just as the metal pipe slammed violently into the wall behind her with a terrific crash. Had she began her sprint a half-second too late, she would've have been, without a doubt, impaled before she even knew what happened.

Quickly getting to her feet, her TMP still in hand, she looked up toward the top of the closest building where someone or something must have hurled that hunk of metal at her and waited for it to make its next move. She didn't need to wait more than two seconds when the hulking figure came into view; its giant mutated, bladed arm came into view. A smirk played out on her face.

_Well, well, well…I'm impressed. _

He glared at her, an insane, leering grin on his burned, warped face. His body and pants were stained with blood, and skin clearly burned, a result of his fight with Leon a short while ago. Despite the explosion, he looked unbowed, but definitely the worse for wear. Krauser, remarkably, was still alive.

"Oh, Krauser," she said nonchalantly. "I'm sorry. I jumped the gun when I reported you dead to Wesker." She fished out her grappling gun, aimed it at the cement wall below Krauser and fired. The hook slammed into the wall and stuck firmly in place, enough that when she pulled the trigger again, she flew through the air, sailing high over the railing and over Krauser's head, giving him a brief view beneath her skirt. She landed gracefully and solidly behind him just as the grapple recoiled itself back into the gun.

She chuckled, her back facing the aberration that was Krauser. "Think of all the explaining I'd have to do if you were to show up alive."

----------------------------------

END OF CHAPTER. Look for the next chapter to come soon! In the meantime, comment away!


	24. Chapter Twenty Three: Defying Science

**Chapter Twenty-Three: Defying Science**

As soon as he stepped outside, Leon could hear the sounds of a battle nearby. He couldn't see where it was, but he could definitely hear the sounds of gunfire from somewhere _above _him, and as he moved around what looked like a recently created pile of debris with a metal pipe sticking out of it, all he could do was move forward and hope that whatever was going on above him wouldn't be distracted by his passing through. He suspected it was Ada, who wasn't too far ahead of him anyway. If she was engaged in battle, then with what?

Leon couldn't speculate any further; he had no time to waste. The parasites in his body were getting stronger by the minute, and Ashley still needed to be rescued _again._ The path took a left around a tall structure before heading down and to the right. As he neared the turn, he pressed himself against the concrete wall and listened. Aside from the muted sounds of gunfire, he peered around the corner and saw what appeared to be some sort of stronghold. Ahead was a short set of stairs, to which at the top stood a wall of sandbags. A couple of crates formed primitive walls, and farther back, a fenced area surrounded an upper room of sort, possibly a control room, accessed via a ladder that led up to it. Several of the mercenary _ganados _patrolled the building behind the fence, with a couple of them lying in wait, crouched behind the sandbags. As Leon scanned the area, stealth was most likely impossible. That fact was even made more apparent with the fact that Leon no longer had his rifle, having lost it during the exchange with the now fallen Krauser.

He couldn't see much else past the top of the stairs and beyond the wall of sandbags, and now he checked what he had for firepower. At his disposal, he had a fully loaded handgun and shotgun, and was still good for ammo. The Magnum he found was empty, and it was his hope that he'd find some more of the powerful ammunition at some point. He had one flashbang grenade left, which he thought may be needed here to buy some time if he needed to. No matter what he did, he'd be spotted as soon as he stepped into the view of the patrolling mercenaries.

He pulled out his handgun and aimed it at the closest _Ganado_, his head just above the top of the sandbags. He wasn't looking in Leon's direction--he was saying something in Spanish to someone behind him, leaving the back of his head exposed to the aiming agent. Knowing he had just a few seconds, he lined up the laser sight and immediately fired five rounds, all of them hitting their mark, taking a few chunks of bone and brain with them. The infected creature dropped, and Leon immediately made his move up the stairs. Several screams of alarm sounded throughout the yard, as expected, and as Leon rushed up to the top of the stairs, another man emerged from a crouch behind the sandbag, his eyes glowing with the familiar red, another infected host. He made a lunging grab toward the agent, but was greeted with a few rounds to the legs, knocking him to his knees. In one swift motion, Leon kicked the fallen soldier, and out he went.

Quickly panning the area, he saw that the stronghold stretched further off to his right, and that the way forward involved navigating a network of walkways and catwalks that connected what were now several of these buildings that were propped up by concrete supports. As for the purpose of this area he did not know, but he could see the lone reinforced metal door at the far end of the yard. He also saw a few large red barrels, metal barrels that looked like they might contain oil or some other fuel. Either way, it was not going to be easy, for at least ten or so of Saddler's forces were now alerted to the agent's presence, all of them armed with a various array of crossbows, cattle prods, and other things liable to hurt. To make matters worse, emerging from one of the far buildings was a large, and rather rotund, man.

He was dark-skinned and looked very much like a soldier--army camouflage pants, bulletproof vest, and red beret on top of his rather bald head. However, his vest and his waist were adorned with a connected string of large bullets, one long connected jacket. His massive, muscular arms were holding up the weapon that used those bullets--a Gatling gun.

_Wouldn't be Saddler if he made this easy. However, he can make my job much easier…_

The large, hulking figure let out a load roar before fixing his gaze on Leon, and as he aimed the massive weapon at the agent, he quickly looked for an escape route. The fat man had a major advantage for the moment, as he was standing on a raised platform. The alerted soldiers heading toward him were not too far away now, and they'd be on him in less than a minute. In the meantime, a fence door was open, and Leon immediately made for the door. No sooner did he take off running did the large gun whirr to life before ripping the air with loud peals of rapid gunfire, laughing as the impact of each bullet struck the ground with loud metallic pings, creating sparks as they hit the concrete inches behind Leon. The sounds of gunfire continued for a few seconds as Leon passed through the open door and underneath one of the supported buildings, whereupon the sounds of ricocheting bullets stopped screaming in the night. The fat man would have to move to ground level to continue his attack, which meant Leon had some extra time to make an escape or launch an offensive. Unfortunately, Leon was heading right into a melee as three of the infected mercenaries blocked his path, crowding near the ladder to get up into the control room or whatever above him, with a fourth one coming down.

They leered at him, their sick, grotesque faces adorned with insane grins as they closed the gap to Leon. The closest one, a few feet away, was armed with a shock prod--Leon could hear and see the bolts of electricity coursing through the weapon. Grabbing his shotgun, the electrically armed _Ganado_ began to take a swipe--

--and an instant later, the loud boom of the shotgun tore through the surrounding air, and with it, an explosion that sprayed bone, skin, organs and copious amounts of blood as the hot slug ripped through the chest of the soldier, ripping the body messily in two. The other men behind him were forced back several steps as the buckshot contained in the shell ripped into their bodies as well, forcing them back several feet, causing them to drop their weapons in the process. One slammed into the armed soldier coming down the ladder, and for few moments, the scene looked almost comical, Three Stooges-like, as the remaining soldiers fell on each other. Although they were now wearing the previously armed man, Leon didn't have time to reflect on this humorous moment--for in just those few seconds, he could hear the angry scream of the fat man from somewhere off to his right--and as he turned, he could see, about fifty or so feet away, the large figure landing solidly on his feet, still holding that Gatling gun as if it weighed nothing.

_It has to be those damn parasites…no normal guy could lift that!_

Getting a shot off here would be useless--he was wearing a bulletproof vest, and from this vantage point, he'd have no time to line up a head shot, for the hulking figure was already aiming the powerful weapon at the agent. In the same instant, the injured but still very much alive group of soldiers was getting to their feet.

_Up the ladder, Leon!_

He could hear the mechanical winding up of the massive gun as his hands gripped the metal ladder, and then the booming peal of rapid firing a second later as his body disappeared into the room above. Below him, bullets were ricocheting off the metallic rungs just inches below. The agent could hear the sound of a deep, booming laugh over the roar of the gun, combined with the sounds of primitive screaming as it became apparent that the fat man did not care who got in his way, friend, comrade, or whatever. Leon was his prime target, and anyone caught in the path of the Gatling gun would meet a speedy and bloody end--the exact end Leon did not wish to experience. As potentially gratifying as it might have been to watch several enemies get strafed by a powerful gun, Leon had no time to dwell on it.

With his heart pounding, he quickly glanced around the room, finding a control panel or two, a table with some scattered playing cards, a few lockers and some shelving units, but nothing of use. He did see the exit behind him, leading back out into the open. His palms sweaty and his shotgun still in hand, he ran outside and onto the metal passageway, which would lead him to another of these large rooms, and the place where the large menacing figure initially emerged from.

A hail of gunfire immediately greeted him as he emerged, forcing him immediately back into the room, followed by insane laughter.

_DAMN!_

Leon pressed himself against the wall, breathing heavily as the shots sailed past the opening.

_I'm trapped--!_

He sat there for a few seconds, his thoughts racing, his heart pounding furiously as he tried to think of his next plan of action. After a few seconds, the screaming sounds of gunfire and ricocheting bullets stopped, but at this moment, he was stopped dead in his tracks, but before he could attempt to formulate a plan, he could hear a gathering of angry men and the clanging of feet against metal, growing louder with each running step.

_Great. More of them._

And now he had no choice--it was going to be a battle of endurance. The next wave of _ganados _was going to come barging in any second, and Leon was going to be ready. He checked to make sure he was good for ammo, and then his eyes glanced over the one flashbang grenade he had left. A smile crept over his face.

He was going to wriggle his way out of this.

A hundred feet or so above the melee, she ducked out of the path of the jagged, mutated limb from the crazed, hell-bent Jack Krauser, feeling the _whoosh_ of air as the blades sliced the space where her head just was. Seeing an opportunity, she slammed the butt of the TMP as hard as she could into Krauser's stomach. It caught him off guard, and the sweet sound of a sudden exhale was music to her ears. The blow forced him back a few steps, enough for the sexy double agent to get out of the corner she had been backed into. For all of Krauser's massive bulk, he was extremely agile, but then again, so was Ada--she made a profession out of tight spaces.

Regardless, where she was fighting was a cramped space indeed--a space probably no bigger than twenty feet square, and although Krauser was badly burned, he still had plenty of fight still left.

"You bitch!" he seethed angrily, before lunging at her again. Ada once more swerved out of the way of the sickening, grotesque arm--

--but suddenly felt the muscular, and very powerful human arm slam into her side, sending her sprawling, and also knocking the TMP out of her hand.

_No!_

She cried out in pain as she hit the cold metal hard, pain shooting all up and down her back. Amazingly, no bones were broken with the force of the impact, and the gun had not sailed over the metal railing, stopping just a few feet before the edge.

The infected soldier looked at her with primal, lustful glee as she attempted to get up, admiring the sexy curvature of her body--the shapely hips, the sleek legs, and her perfect ass. How he wanted to inflict punishment on the little bitch was something he unfortunately was going to have to forgo; this was it, the time was now--he was going to finish her off now before she could get to her gun.

"Too bad, Ada!" Krauser said triumphantly, walking slowly over to her writhing frame. His left arm seemed to react excitedly to what it was about to do, pulsating and throbbing with a will of its own. The Plagas tasted it.

_I've been in far worse, Krauser…_

The pain began to subside, and her vision was returning to her, but she knew she'd have to recover in a hurry. Krauser was now standing directly over her.

"We could've been something, you and I. But no…the traitorous bitch wants Leon's dick instead! You double-crossing cunt! You'll burn in hell just like Saddler and Leon, and when Umbrella returns to its former dominance, I--"

_BANG!_

The sound of a grenade going off below interrupted the preaching soldier, and a quick flash of bright white light filled the area. In that exact instant, knowing that this was all the time she was going to get to take advantage of a distraction, Ada grabbed her handgun from beneath her dress, rolled over and emptied an entire clip at point-blank range, aiming directly at Krauser.

Every shot landed squarely in Krauser's torso, and it was now his turn to stumble backwards in pain, clutching his chest and gasping for precious air. Blood seeped out of the newly-created gunshot wounds, covering his hands. As he stumbled back, Ada quickly rose to her feet and grabbed the TMP as the area was returning to normal light. She turned, and looked Krauser dead in the face, eyes locked with each other.

"Fuck off, Krauser," she said, smiling, before pulling the trigger on the automatic pistol. A hail of quick gunfire strafed his body, his torso quickly becoming nothing more than a flimsy target as the skin became dotted with bullet wounds. His face contorted in extreme pain, and he let out a feral yell which then gave way to choking, sickening gurgling sounds as he began to gag on his own blood. The soldier stumbled all the way back to the railing before the magazine ran dry, and all Ada could do was watch in sweet revengeful bliss as the gasping, blood-soaked body of Krauser clutched his chest. A second later, something exploded out of his chest, possibly his parasite-infested heart. Finally, the ex-soldier fell to his knees, his bloodshot eyes rolling up to the back of his head, before letting out one final breath and hitting the cold metal floor to lie in a pool of his own blood.

"Just like every other egotistical male, Krauser," she said, walking over to the deflating corpse. "Talk, talk, talk. Always gloating." She nudged the body with one of her heels. "Besides," she continued. "I wouldn't have wanted anything to do with you." She looked down at the writhing left arm. "Not with that sorry excuse for an organ." As if the seething, glistening tentacle heard her words, the sinewy, sick wet muscles and veins began to shrink and deflate as the life left the body. This time, there was no more doubt. Krauser had finally left this life for good.

She could feel pain starting to return to her left side as the adrenaline began to wear off. While she was sure nothing was broken--at least, nothing felt broken, she knew that Krauser had left a nasty bruise at the very least. For now, though, she'd have to press on. Had that blow been anywhere else, she might not have been standing now. However, all was not silent, as she could hear automatic gunfire from below.

_Leon…_

She quickly ejected the empty clips from both her guns and replaced them with new, fresh clips. She only had a couple one handgun clip left, and just a couple of TMP magazines. Unless she found more, stealth and ammo conservation were now needed. Hopefully, Leon could take out Saddler, saving her the trouble. For now, though, she decided against jumping into the gunfight below. No sense in plunging in recklessly--she was sure that it was Leon below, and was sure he'd handle it. Looking around for her next course of action, she saw a ledge nearby, which looked like it led to an entrance to a building. Pulling out her grapple gun, she fired, and the hook slammed into the concrete, holding solidly. Before she pulled the trigger, a loud, booming explosion suddenly shattered the area, lighting up the area briefly before a black plume of smoke sailed up into the fading night sky. She heard a loud metal clang a second or two later. After that, nothing but silence. The double agent pulled the trigger, and left the roof.

The heavy door finally budging, he slowly walked into the large room. He felt drained. Physically drained. The battle with the Gatling gunner took more out of him than he thought--that lucky shot on the explosive barrel saved him from depleting his remaining ammo. He had a couple clips of handgun ammo left, and little more than a handful of shotgun shells left. Luckily, he did find a box in an open locker that contained twelve Magnum rounds, of which six were immediately used to reload the powerful gun. However, that was all the ammo he found. Still, he had to be thankful--he was standing, and the fat gunner was not. In fact, most likely he was sprayed all over the ground after that explosion.

His body was screaming from fatigue. Every muscle in his body was sore, worn out, tired. He knew he had to continue on. Then again, this mission was going on far longer than he ever anticipated. He had been here for nearly twenty-four hours, and his stamina had begun to dwindle. Not to mention that that the parasites inside him were also taking their toll. It would not be long before they took total control over him, and once that happened, the game was over.

_First bullets and zombies…now parasites and insane men. All in a day's work._

He had one last energy bar still left, and he felt that he was going to need it soon. He looked around the new area that he just entered. It was a large room with a high ceiling. The place almost looked like a warehouse. Computers, control panels, and wiring ran all along the walls and the floor. It was poorly lit, but it visible enough. The area had a second floor that was clearly visible, with more of the same; however, Leon could see an area of the second floor that had a stack of the same red fuel barrels. This was where they were stored, so it seemed. Below the section was the exit. However, the main focus was directly in the center of this massive area. A tall cylindrical capsule stood up, probably ten, twelve feet tall. In it was what looked like a large mechanical surgical bed, or an X-Ray table of some kind. Next to it was what looked like a lock mechanism, with a red and a green light. The red light was currently lit. A bright white light stood at the top, illuminating the inside of the capsule, revealing its contents. And there, Leon found what he sought.

_Ashley._

Her eyes were closed, but Leon could see that she was breathing. The platform she was laying on was standing upright, but at an angle. The sleeping or unconscious girl was not fastened or secured to anything save for her wrists, but otherwise just lying there peacefully. Feeling a renewed sense of urgency, a spark of energy, Leon began to run toward the control panel, hoping to find a way to open the capsule and take Ashley back. He had only a gone a few steps when he heard a voice to his left, a deep voice that Leon had become all too familiar with.

"You'll soon harbor an awesome power," the Spanish voice said. "Yet it seems you would rather choose death."

Leon turned to face the robed figure of Saddler, who had a smile on his face.

"I'm taking back Ashley whether you like it or not," the agent replied sternly.

Saddler sighed, then chuckled. "Ah, the audacity of youth." Without warning, Saddler lunged--glided toward Leon at sudden speed, closing the distance to Leon in less than a second.

_Inhuman--!_

Before Leon could even react, Saddler stuck out his right hand and slammed it at full speed squarely into Leon's chest, easily sending Leon flying backwards, totally airborne. The agent slammed hard into the capsule, then fell to the concrete floor, knocking the wind out of him. Leon came up sputtering and coughing, trying hard to breathe while he writhed upon the ground. The attack caught him completely off guard, and all he could do was try to breathe and not choke on vomit that was trying to come back up.

Completely vulnerable, Saddler began to walk in silence toward him, holding out his hand, glaring, concentrating on Leon. A second later, Leon began to feel it happening again, could feel the parasites pulling in his body, hearing the call of their master.

_No! Not again--!_

Pain began to once again shoot through his prone body, an unimaginable pain, the feeling of being ripped apart.

_Saddler--Ashley--!_

Suddenly, gunfire ripped through the air above him. Automatic gunfire. As Leon got control of his body back, he saw a flurry of bullets coming down from somewhere above, slamming and slicing through Saddler.

_What the--_

Seconds passed, and the hail of bullets continued to rain down their fury upon the robed man as he stumbled backwards. Leon forced himself to his feet, leaning next to the capsule for support. Breathing heavily, he looked up to his left and saw the figure of Ada as she fired the last of the magazine. Saddler stumbled back a few more steps and then doubled over, his upper body completely smoking from the impact of many hot parabellum rounds.

_Ada…perfect timing._

The lovely woman looked down at the tired operative below. "Leon, now!"

Leon nodded in acknowledgement, turned around, and slammed the green button on the panel with his fist. The capsule let out a loud hiss as air escaped, and then slid open. The mechanical platform moved completely upright and the wrist bindings released. He caught the falling girl, who was now starting to stir. His gazed remained locked on Saddler, who had not fallen over yet.

_All those bullets and still--!_

Saddler let out a low moan which began to get louder and far angrier. The robed man's hands clenched into fists, and to Leon's shock, he could see the hands pulsating and throbbing, watching in total horror as the parasites began to surge throughout his body. He slowly rose to his feet, and when he un-clenched his fists, bullet casings fell to the floor. Leon stared in total shock as his mind began to take in the sight, knowing that what he saw defied everything. The parasites, defying all known logic, had ejected the bullets from the body, fully healing the crazed man. All Ada's gunfire was for naught. In one final action, Saddler slowly lifted his head and looked at the two before him, a smile of sadistic glee on his face.

_Fucking impossible!_

"Move!" Ada screamed, snapping Leon out of his train of thought.

"Let's go!" Leon said to Ashley, who was still barely conscious. Grabbing her hand, she began to run with him, if only reflexively. As they made for the exit, Saddler began to walk after them, a slow, deliberate walk. Ada ran along the side of the second floor, putting herself in a position to open another steady line of fire. Immediately after the two made it through the exit, Ada aimed her TMP directly at Saddler's back and opened fire. She could not believe what she was seeing--each bullet was hitting their mark, slamming directly into Saddler's back, but it was doing no good. He kept walking, not even breaking stride once. When the magazine emptied, she quickly ejected and changed it and opened fire again. Same result. He didn't even flinch.

_It must be the parasites--they're protecting him!_

She looked up and saw the stack of fuel barrels positioned above the exit, and knew exactly what to do. Determined, she opened fire, and after several rounds hit the barrels across the room, one punctured the metal casing, igniting the flammable liquid inside. A loud explosion rocked the room, accompanied with a bright fireball of blinding yellow and white. Another barrel exploded a second later, and instantly it was airborne. A bright ball of hot fuel came crashing down just behind Saddler, and still he kept walking. Another explosion came from above, and another flaming barrel came crashing down. It landed just a couple feet next to Saddler, and the loud, jarring noise of crashing metal filled the air. A third barrel immediately followed, this one landing even closer, a foot away from Saddler. The immense heat and flame should've instantly stopped him.

But he still walked, immune to the smoke and flame.

_WHAT. THE. FUCK._

Two more barrels exploded and were launched into the air, crashing hard to the ground below. The force of the explosions caused the exit to come crashing down, adding to the screaming noise. However, she bought Leon some time--the flaming pile of rubble trapped the exit, forcing Saddler to a halt.

_Finally!_

The robed figure turned around and glared angrily at her, gazing at her with his inhuman eyes. With the exit trapped, Ada was now going to have to confront Saddler and engage him in battle. She had hoped Leon would do it for her, but no matter now. She bought him time to escape, bought him time to leave this hell. It had gone completely against what Wesker wanted, but to hell with him and his agenda. She clearly wanted Leon to get out alive, perhaps to meet again under better circumstances. It was Saddler who had the parasite sample anyway--and she was going to get it.

Saddler let out an angry yell, then broke out into another impossible glide, aided by the parasites coursing through his body. This was going to be fun.

_Bring it on, Saddler. Let's see what you've got!_


End file.
